February 23, 2026

We’ve All Made Mistakes

Romans 3:23-24 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

The ledger books we keep in our minds reveal a curious imbalance. On one side, we meticulously record every offense committed against us—each slight, betrayal, or harsh word preserved with remarkable clarity. We can recall details from decades past when someone wronged us. Yet on the adjacent page, where our own offenses should be tallied, the ink seems strangely faded, the entries sparse, the details conveniently blurred.

This selective accounting reveals our heart’s natural inclination toward self-justification. We become expert forensic investigators of others’ faults while remaining novices at self-examination. The question from Proverbs stands as a piercing challenge: “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” (Proverbs 20:9). The implied answer echoes across Scripture: no one.

Jesus told a parable about this very problem—a man forgiven an impossible debt who immediately demanded payment of a trivial sum from a fellow servant. The servant’s failure wasn’t mathematical; it was memorial. He forgot the magnitude of what he had been forgiven while fixating on what was owed to him.

This same amnesia affects us when we hold grudges while expecting forgiveness, when we demand perfection from others while excusing our own failings, when we nurse memories of others’ wrongs while conveniently forgetting our own debt to divine mercy.

The recognition that we’ve all made mistakes isn’t meant to excuse wrongdoing but to cultivate humility and extend the mercy we’ve received. When we truly acknowledge the debt we could never repay—a debt canceled at Christ’s expense—our accounting toward others naturally shifts. We stop tallying offenses and start extending grace.

Today’s Prayer: Father, help me remember the immeasurable debt You’ve forgiven when I’m tempted to withhold forgiveness from others. Amen.

Reflection Question: What offense are you holding onto that pale in comparison to what God has forgiven you?