# Be Ready - Wednesday, 2025.11.26 ## 26 - And Forgive us As a dog father, I am constantly on watch for the things she puts in her mouth. I don't know which is more challenging; a toddler or my dog. But unlike a toddler which requires more finesse, most dogs can be trained to respond to commands. For decades, I used the command "drop" when I wanted my dog to spit out whatever she had in her mouth. However, it seems that recently some of the "dog trainer influencers" are using the command "leave it." I suppose "leave it" could be used for the times when my dog is interested in something but hasn't put it in her mouth yet and drop for those when the item is already in her mouth. But, to keep things simple (more for me than her) I have been trying to use "leave it" for both situations. The Greek word "aphiémi" is translated "forgive" or "forgiven" six times in Matthew 6.9-15. Of the 146 occurrences of "aphiémi" in the New Testament, the most common translation is some form of "let" or "leave". So, it could be concluded that when Jesus is teaching on forgiveness, He is telling us to "leave it!" When I tell my dog to "leave it", the types of things I want her to leave are either dangerous for her or disgusting. Either way, I have a strong desire for her to never go back to it again. I think the desired outcome of "forgiveness" is similar. God wants us to forgive and not pickup the issue again. I know for sure, my desire is for God to forgive me for the plethora of sins I have committed and not throw them back in my face at some time in the future. Since we are asking God to forgive us as we have forgiven others, I guess I better do the second half if I want the first half! Father, - As difficult it is to understand the word "forgive", it is even more difficult to put into practice. - Please help each of us! - Thank you! ### Passage So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ {Matthew 6.9-13 (BSB)}