That's 490, For Those Who Hate Math

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"Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.'"

Matthew 18:21-22, ESV

I clipped Squirrel's skin into his collar the other day. It had been a rough week, it was 5am, he yelped like I had sawed off a limb, and I sat on the floor and cried. He came, tailed tucked, and sat next to me; I must have told him a hundred times "I'm sorry, baby. I'm soooo sorry."

My Sunday School lesson for my 4th/5th graders yesterday was on forgiveness. I hate teaching about forgiveness, mainly because I'm really bad at practicing it, and it makes me feel like a hypocrite. I keep hoping one day I'll find it easier. Maybe one day when I'm in a nursing home I'll forgive easily simply because I can't remember what's happened more than 3 minutes ago. I'm not sure that's what Jesus had in mind, but sometimes it feels like all I can hope for.

Then there's Squirrel, who after a minute of pets was completely over the whole collar incident.

(It's now four days later, so clearly I am not.)

I need the capacity to forgive like a dog. After all, isn't that part of the reason for the bond between humans and their dogs? The way they love us and remain loyal even when we, the humans, mess up? How many very salvageable relationships have I put at risk because I felt entitled to my hurt and anger! What a sobering thought.

God, make me a little more like my dog, and a lot more like Jesus.