Summary: David gathered up his dirty clothes. He put them into a basket and carried it downstairs to the laundry room where his mother was putting detergent into the washer. "My baseball uniform is in here, Mom," he said. "It got pretty dirty when I slid into home plate." David laughed and added, "But it was worth it! We won! Now I'll need it for the game tomorrow." Mom smiled. "No problem," she said. "It will be ready for you." After the game the next day, David got into the car with a scowl and slammed the door hard. "Whoa, David! What's wrong?" asked Mom. "Dad said he'd come see me play this time," muttered David as he threw his mitt onto the floorboard. "He promised, but he wasn't here!" "I'm sorry, honey," said Mom. "Something must have come up." "Yeah, that's what he always says," grumbled David, "but Dad's missed every game since you got divorced. It's just not fair! I'll never forgive him!" Mom sighed. "I know it's hard," she said, "but when Jesus was asked how often we should forgive someone, He said 'seventy times seven.' That's a lot of forgiving." "I'm sure I've forgiven Dad that many times already!" said David grumpily. "I'm done!" "You know that verse isn't really talking about a specific number, don't you?" Mom asked. "It means we should forgive every time someone makes us angry or hurts our feelings." After a quiet moment Mom continued. "It's like . . . well, like your uniform. I washed it just yesterday, and now you've gotten it dirty again." "I always get it dirty when I play," mumbled David. "What does that have to do with Dad?" "Every time it gets dirty, I wash it--even though I know you're going to get it dirty again, right?" asked Mom. "I wash it whenever it needs to be washed. That's the way we have to forgive, too." David sighed. "So you're saying I have to keep forgiving Dad even though what he did hurts and I know it will happen again?" he asked. Mom nodded. "It's never easy," she said, "but God blesses and comforts when we honor Him by obeying His commands and forgiving as He does." How About You? Have you found it hard to forgive someone? That's natural. Forgiving others isn't easy, especially if they repeat the action that hurt you. But Jesus wants you to do it anyway. As today's Key Verse says, you should forgive as Jesus does. When you remember how often you do something wrong and are forgiven by Him, it makes it a little easier to forgive those who hurt you. Ask God for the desire and strength to obey His command about forgiveness. Today's Key Verse: Even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3:13) Today's Key Thought: Develop a forgiving spirit
