Jesus says that we are to ask God to forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Jesus says that there is a correlation between our asking God for forgiveness and us forgiving other people. We are to ask for forgiveness and, it seems, tell God to forgive us in the same way as we forgive others.

I once heard someone say that we expect people to respond the way we would respond in the same situation. We use our motives to assess their motives. Thus, people who cheat assume that everyone would cheat. People who don’t take anything seriously assume that everyone is that flexible.

People who choose to hold back forgiveness will assume that God is that way, too.

“I forgive them, but I’m watching closely for them to mess up again.”

“I forgive them, but I’m keeping track.”

Notice a very careful word choice.

Choose.

Many people struggle to forgive people who have intentionally hurt them deeply. “I’m trying to forgive, but it’s hard,” they say. And then they worry about this passage. They worry that unless they forgive, they will be punished. But they don’t know how to forgive.

It’s for us that this prayer exists.

Though he links the two conditionally, Jesus first allows us to ask for forgiveness. As we remember his forgiveness, forgiving becomes easier.

Not easy, but possible.

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From Learning a new routine. Reading the Sermon on the Mount a little bit at a time