Forgiven Forever

Lisa, burdened by guilt over a mistake that cost her brother Brent a life-changing opportunity, runs away from home, believing she is beyond forgiveness. Years later, she learns of Brent’s tragic death and returns home, only to find a letter from him. In it, he reminds her of true forgiveness, referencing the biblical lesson of forgiving "seventy times seven." Through this, Lisa realizes she has been forgiven—not just 490 times, but forever.

Run-Time:

Approximately 15-20 minutes

Cast Number:

2-3 actors (Lisa, Brent, optional Narrator)

Biblical Reference:

Matthew 18:21-22 – "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.’"

Sample Script

(Lisa sits on the floor of her old room, staring at the box that lay in front of her. It was an old shoe box that she had decorated to become a memory box many years before. Stickers and penciled flowers covered the top and sides. Its edges were worn, the corners of the lid taped so as to keep their shape.)

Narrator:
It had been three years since Lisa last opened the box. A sudden move to Boston had kept her from packing it. But now that she was back home, she took the time to look again at the memories.

(Fingering the corners of the box and stroking its cover, Lisa pictures in her mind what is inside.)

Narrator:
There was a photo of the family trip to the Grand Canyon, a note from her friend telling her that Nick Bicotti liked her, and the Indian arrowhead she had found while on her senior class trip.

(One by one, she remembers the items in the box, lingering over the sweetest, until she comes to the last and only painful memory. She knows what it looks like—a single sheet of paper upon which lines had been drawn to form boxes, 490 of them to be exact. And each box contained a check mark, one for each time.)

Narrator:
The story behind it…

(Flashback to Sunday school. Lisa and Brent sit among their classmates as their teacher reads from the Bible.)

Sunday School Teacher:
How many times must I forgive my brother? The disciple Peter had asked Jesus. Seven times?

(The teacher pauses, then continues reading.)

Sunday School Teacher:
Jesus answered, Seventy times seven.

(Lisa leans over to her brother, Brent, as the teacher continues reading.)

Lisa (whispering):
How many times is that?

(Brent, though two years younger, is smarter than she is. He quickly writes on the corner of his Sunday school paper.)

Brent:
Four hundred and ninety.

(Lisa sees the message, nods, and sits back in her chair. She watches her brother as the lesson continues.)

Narrator:
He was small for his age, with narrow shoulders and short arms. His glasses were too large for his face, and his hair always matted in swirls. He bordered on being a nerd, but his incredible skills at everything, especially music, made him popular with his classmates.

(Brent had learned to play the piano at age four, the clarinet at age seven, and had just begun to play oboe. His music teachers said he'd be a famous musician someday. There was only one thing at which Lisa was better than Brent—basketball. They played it almost every afternoon after school. Brent could have refused to play, but he knew that it was Lisa's only joy in the midst of her struggles to get C's and D's at school.)

(Lisa's attention comes back to her Sunday school teacher as the woman finishes the lesson and closes with prayer.)

(That same Sunday afternoon, Lisa and Brent are in the driveway playing basketball.)

(Brent is guarding Lisa as she dribbles toward the basket. He tries to bat the ball away, gets his face near her elbow, and takes a shot on the chin.)

Brent (crying out):
Ow!

(He turns away, holding his chin. Lisa sees her opening and drives to the basket, making an easy lay-up. She gloats over her success but stops when she sees Brent.)

Lisa:
You okay?

(Brent shrugs his shoulders.)

Lisa:
Sorry. Really. It was a cheap shot.

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