Yes, one step at the time, one decision at the time. The scriptures and God will help with this if we are asking for help AND paying attention!It's interesting too that if you tell someone you forgive him when he wants you to allow him in the same situation as before. If someone stole money from me, I don't think he should say to me, "You don't really forgive me if you hide your money." He's trying to dictate things to me as if I was the guilty party. Why does he want to know where my money is? Over time, I may come to trust him again; but don't confuse trust with forgiveness.
Notice that Jesus didn't say to forgive a person 490 times for the same thing. If someone comes back to me on second offense, I tell them something like this. I'd like to forgive you. I'd like everything to be right again between us; but you do know if you keep doing this, you're not really sorry, you're not really learning from your mistakes. My forgiving you won't help you." Also the first offense, I don't usually ask for any penance. On second offense, I want some evidence.
I find it interesting that the word "perfection" in Hebrew equals 490. I wonder if there's 490 ways to be imperfect? Probably so if not even more. If I can see someone improving again and again by learning from his mistakes by coming to me to discuss them, I don't mind him offending against me. That's probably better than offending against someone else and not learning from it. If I could help someone master 490 flaws, that would be a good thing.
If this is so, it is not surprising. My quick search on the Internet did not find it.
In my own experience I know that God has forgiven likely many more than the precise number, 490, which to me has long meant that there is a deeper meaning to the number than a mathematical quantity. As Moses only was allowed not even one rebellion and the children of Israel were allowed not even 10 we are each allowed up to that "perfect" amount for us. It all brings us back to Jesus' explanation if we can understand it:
"But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48