Article April 13, 2020 Issue

Break through resistance to forgiving

Kim Crooks Korinek

“Earth is forgiveness school. It begins with forgiving yourself, and then you might as well start at the dinner table,” says Anne Lamott. “That way, you can do this work in comfortable pants” (“Twelve truths I learned from life and writing,” TED.com, June 9, 2017).

Lamott, a popular Christian author, always makes me laugh. And her talk that includes the quote above is insightful as well as humorous. Yet even in comfortable pants, forgiving can seem hard to do!

Consider this question asked by one of Jesus’ disciples: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21, 22, New King James Version). In the Bible, the number seven is often used to indicate completeness, and Jesus used it here to teach that forgiveness is a thorough and limitless act of love.

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