Today’s Scripture Readings

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent”, you must forgive.’

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.

There was a relationship in my life that wounded me deeply. The hurt wasn’t surface-level—it cut into the core of who I was. And like many of us, I carried resentment and anger long after the moment had passed. I tried to heal. I journalled, prayed, processed. But forgiveness felt impossible. During that season, someone journeying with me said something that pierced through for me, ‘Unforgiveness is like trying to hurt someone else by swallowing poison yourself.’

I realised that by clinging to this resentment, I wasn’t protecting myself—I was prolonging my suffering. The wound couldn’t close because I kept reopening it. But in forgiveness, I discovered something unexpected: healing and restoration. A lightness I had never felt.

Jesus knew this when He said, ‘if the same person sins against you seven times a day and turns back to you to seven times and says, “I repent,” you must forgive.’ He wasn’t setting a limit—He was saying forgive again and again and again. Forgiveness isn’t weakness, it’s often the hardest choice, but it’s choosing freedom.

But let’s be clear: forgiveness doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. We are called to be discerning—to guard what is sacred, especially our hearts. Forgiveness can coexist with boundaries. We can release someone without letting them back in.

So, if you’re carrying a wound today, know this: Jesus sees it. He doesn’t ask you to pretend it didn’t happen. He invites you to forgive—not to forget, but to be free. And in that freedom, healing begins.

+Jesus, healer and restorer, bring your healing love to our wounds today. Where we hold onto unforgiveness, help us loosen our grip and let mercy pour in. And where we have hurt others, help us recognise that, seek forgiveness and restoration with others and with you. Amen.