Day Two of “30 Days to Victory through Forgiveness”

Posted on Aug 03, 2015 Topic : Weekly Devotionals

The Pelicano was once the most unwelcome ship in the world. For more than two years it sailed the open seas—the Flying Dutchman of the twentieth century.

The massive ship was turned away from ports in Honduras, Costa Rica, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, the Bahamas, and many more. It wandered the Caribbean, crossed the Atlantic to West Africa, sailed the Mediterranean, and roamed the Indian Ocean. It was allowed to dock only long enough to refuel. During those years, the Pelicano changed names twice and owners once.

The widespread rejection of the Pelicano began in 1986 when sanitation workers in Philadelphia went on strike for almost a month. As trash accumulated, the city tried to ship it to Ohio and Georgia, but those states said no deal. Philadelphia eventually incinerated the trash and dumped 28 million pounds of scrap and ash—including toxic elements, such as arsenic and lead—into the belly of a ship later named the Pelicano.

No port in the world wanted anything to do with it.

I didn’t experience the strike in Philadelphia firsthand, but I did experience a similar situation when my wife and I took a trip to Venice. Throughout the city, we saw (and smelled) mounds of trash. The streets were already narrow, but now they were littered with trash heaps as well. The odor made alleys unbearable.

When we asked what had happened, we learned that sanitation workers were on strike in Venice.

Needless to say, I have very few fond memories of that trip. The stench of other people’s debris caused everyone to suffer, including us. The beauty of the city’s exquisite architecture and the tranquility of a gondola ride on a canal are difficult to enjoy when you are hit by such a horrible smell.

Unforgiveness can do that in your life as well. When left unattended and allowed to pile up, it begins to affect everything you do and everyone around you. The fresh, clean atmosphere of love for God and for other people becomes polluted by unforgiveness. Kind words become biting. Giving gestures are tied to expectations and demands. Sweetness is laced with bitterness.

In other words, you can no longer be the loving person God created you to be. Instead, the debris of rotting regret, shame, and anger poison the air, causing difficulties in your relationships, your career, and other areas of your life. That’s why forgiveness is so important. It restores the person who hurt you, it frees you from regret, and it empowers you to regain the life you were meant to have.