You know those big spoons that are in your kitchen silverware drawer? I’m not talking about the soup spoons. I’m talking about the BIG serving spoons. On a few occasions, I’ve had to use the big spoon to eat cereal because all the other spoons were dirty. With the big spoon you can’t help but deliver generous amounts of food to your mouth.

What size spoon do you use to deliver forgiveness to other people? Peter thought he was being generous when he said this to Jesus: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21).

He grabbed the BIG spoon right away. Seven is a pretty generous number . . . “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:22). . . . Or not.

We tend to think that setting a high limit on the forgiveness we dish out is the right thing to do. We think of forgiveness in terms of the big spoon. But we shouldn’t.

God set no limit on the forgiveness he gives to us. He doesn’t administer grace with a spoon, but with a shovel. Every day you need loads of grace and forgiveness from God.

Someone in your life needs more forgiveness from you than can fit on a spoon. You know because you’ve tried. So forget about the spoon. Break out the shovel and forgive them just as God forgave you.