Hey, Carpool Crew. Happy Sunday. I hope you're having a great day, heading off to church or just sitting on the couch relaxing, or maybe you had some awesome breakfast. I'm Pastor Justin. I'm so glad you're here. Now, let me ask you this question. Have you ever stayed mad at someone over something kind of small, just holding onto it even after they tried to make it right? When somebody owes you an apology and you're deciding whether to forgive. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. We forgive others because God first forgave us. Listen to this from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32. It says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ." Don't miss those last words, "Just as God forgave you." The reason we forgive isn't because the other person earned it. It's because of how much we've already been forgiven by God. Think about it like this. Picture everything God has forgiven you for as a giant mountain. Now picture the thing your friend did to you as a little pebble. When you remember the size of the mountain, the pebble gets a lot easier to set down and forgive. See, we forgive out of how much we have been forgiven, not out of how sorry the other person looks or how genuine the apology sounded. If Jesus were sitting beside you, I think he'd kinda nudge you and say, "Remember how much I've already forgiven you? I'm not asking you to do something I haven't already done. You can let this one go. Forgive them the way you've been forgiven." See, it's a slow Sunday, and you catch yourself still chewing on something a friend did, replaying it in your mind, keeping score, getting angry. But then you remember all the times you messed up, and you were forgiven by your family, by other friends, by God, of course, more times than you could count. And next to that mountain of forgiveness, this thing you're holding onto, it seems like a pretty small pebble. So you decide it's time to forgive. It's time to drop it. And that's exactly what you do. Imagine how freeing that is. Here's the thing, Carpool Crew. This week, I want you to try a couple things. First, think of the one thing you're still holding against someone. Picture it next to the mountain that God's already forgiven you, and choose to drop it. Choose to forgive. Second, when forgiving feels unfair, whisper one simple sentence, "God, you forgave me so much. Help me pass it on." And third, ask yourself, the next time you mess up, do you wanna be forgiven the way God forgives, or do you want people keeping score the way you're maybe forgiving right now? It's wise to be more like God. Let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. We forgive others because God first forgave us. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, here's the one thing for today. Think of your kid's small group leader at church or their kids' pastor, someone who shows up for your kids every week. Would you share the podcast with them? Let them know about Carpooling with Jesus, and maybe they can share it with other families, too. Now, before you go, let's answer this question together. What's one thing you could let drop this week, remembering how much you've been forgiven? I'll see you later, Carpool Crew. Have a good one.
