Power of Forgiveness: Forgiving multiple offenses

When I was in the midst of my second abusive relationship, I began to wonder if I would ever survive.

On more than one occasion, I prayed “Lord you told us to forgive seventy times seven, but I’ve forgiven that several times over.  I’m not sure how much more I can forgive or take.”

In the days of the Old Testament, forgiving was seen as an atonement for sin and often followed a sacrifice {such as a lamb}.  Forgiving three times seemed a lot, so forgiving seven times would have been a magnanimous gesture.

Matthew 18 tells us that Peter approached Jesus and asked “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”   {Matthew 18:21}

Jesus answered in the next verse, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

So, does that mean we should forgive someone 490 times?

The Lord wants us to keep forgiving the offense.  But, what about when you’ve forgiven for years and the person is not changing and you cannot take it any longer?

I so understand how difficult that is.

All I can say, is to lift it up to the Lord and seek His will about what to do.  Only you and God know the depth of the hurt and deception and how much you can forgive and when to say enough is enough.

But in the meantime, keep seeking God and forgiving.

Is there someone you continuously have to forgive?