Why is our ability to forgive inversely related to our age? Why could we beat each other up as 6 year olds and then get together and play the very next day as if nothing happened, yet, when we reach adulthood, we can be offended by some ill chosen words and go to the grave bitter. Jesus individually forgave people during His ministry, but after being savagely tortured during His crucifixion and death He forgave the entire world. I think we could all learn a lesson from Jesus and bleed a little more forgiveness rather than poisoning our veins with resentment.

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18: 21-22)

Peter thought the Lord would be impressed with his arithmetic ability to forgive 7 times, but Jesus made it clear that he needed to count to 70 x 7 if he wanted to matriculate into the Kingdom. God isn’t impressed with our ability to count pardons on our pinkies but He does delight when we calculate the cost of forgiveness.