Forgiveness is HARD

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus admonishes Peter that is it not enough to forgive someone 7 times, but rather 77 times. These days, we tend to glibly talk about forgiveness, but we forget just how hard it can be to forgive. Especially when the wrong is not a small thing, like stepping on one's toes, but something life-changing. The rest of the world has NOT forgotten

"There is a distinction between making the decision to forgive - which we call decisional forgiveness - and actually forgiving someone - emotional forgiveness - which takes longer," says Professor Macaskill.

Often people say they've forgiven but will never forget. Some might argue that's not really forgiveness, but rather the act of drawing a line under an event.

"That's confirmation that they still don't really trust the person. They are always recalling how they were treated before."

Challenging Bible Verses

There are those who claim the Bible is easy to understand, but as Bible Quizzers we know that God does not "dumb it down" when speaking to his people. Jesus gave us many parables to help us understand, but he also spoke that way to challenge people and force them to ask for help. One newspaper recently contacted local pastors and asked for the verses that challenged them the most. You might be surprised to see how even those in the ministry are continually wrestling with God's word.

THE VERSE: Job 38:1-2, in which God responds to Job's question about why he has been allowed to suffer: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?'" (English Standard Version)

WHY HE CHOSE IT: "I'm challenged by God's answer to Job. God nowhere gives a reason for Job's loss, a loss which is unimaginable (Job lost the children he obviously loved and on top of that his health, wealth and good name).

"God's answer to this loss is that he is bigger than Job could ever know or understand. God simply says he knows best."

So don't be discouraged if you find yourself working hard to understand some parts of scripture. Even the "pros" have to work at it.