“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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Luke 7:47

“The one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

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Jesus had a habit of saying things that pulled the rug out from under conventional understanding.

I’m thinking that many people think the religious goal is to be morally perfect.

However, this type of philosophy turns a person down a path of never-ending-failure.

Perfectionism (of which I am quite familiar) is a curse.

But as a former mentor of mine use to love to say, “It can both help and hinder you.”

Trying to do the best job obviously can be a good thing, but when it becomes an obsession for absolute perfection, you end up miserable.

That’s because absolute perfection is impossible!

And when you think you have to be perfect, you have to pretend to be so.

This leads to being self-righteous and judgmental.

Besides, I don’t believe God is interested in us being perfect or trying to prove ourselves worthy.

Life is not about focusing on our private perfection or what Thomas Merton called “Our personal salvation project.”

We are called into the messiness of relationships.

We are part of a web-of-life whether we like it or not.

St. Paul called it the body of Christ.

Paul knew in his heart that all things are one in Christ.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible…all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17).

We are in-relationship-to-all-things and so forgiveness is vital.

It repairs any breaks in our unity.

I once had a dream in which I told someone that Judas was the most renowned in heaven because he was the most forgiven.

This had a profound effect on me.

Forgiveness transforms hearts and lives.

Grace is a gift of God. It’s not earned but freely given.

We are not here on a worthiness project but on a relationship-building project.

We are called to be whole-makers – diverse but unified.

To do so, we must learn love and compassion.

This takes humility, not hubris.

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Listen to the song of the day “Mercy Reigns” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!