Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Allison.

Today's scripture offers us a wiser way of being human as we step into the day.

Today I want to give a quick shout out to my godfather, Gary.

From as far back as I can remember, Gary has had this rare gift.

He understands scripture deeply and especially

understands how it touches real human pain. His wisdom has been a part of my life, literally,

since my birth. He's been a mentor to me and a guide, and his encouragement has been such an

anchor to me as I've launched this daily podcast. Today's reflection is inspired by some notes he sent me

recently as it relates to forgiveness. Today's reading is Luke 17 1 through 5. Jesus said to his

disciples, things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.

It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their

neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. If your brother or

sister sins against you, rebuke them. And if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin

against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying, I repent, you must

forgive them. The apostles said to the Lord, increase our faith. Jesus doesn't begin this passage with forgiveness. He begins with the reality of harm.

He says, in essence, stumbling blocks will come. In a broken world, people will sin, people will wound.

People will say and do things that cause others to fall, especially the vulnerable. And then Jesus speaks with

startling severity. It would be better for someone to face a catastrophic end than to be the kind of

person who casually harms these little ones. That's not Jesus being dramatic for effect.

That's Jesus making something unmistakably clear. God is not neutral

about harm. So if you've ever felt anxious around the topic of forgiveness, because you don't want

to minimize what happened, Jesus meets you right there. Forgiveness is never meant to be a spiritual

...