From my book No Ordinary Man 2 a meditation on a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, and the need to give people a second chance.
Read
After some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Acts 15:36-41
Meditation
Was I hurt by Paul’s attitude,
his refusal to let me share again in his ministry?
Not really, no,
for I knew that I’d let him down when he needed me most,
walked away when I couldn’t stand the heat.
I hadn’t been well, admittedly,
the demands of our journey having told on me
more than I’d anticipated –
not just the physical toll, though that was testing enough,
but the mental and spiritual exhaustion,
the pressure of constantly giving out
with scarcely a moment’s respite –
yet whatever strain I was under,
Paul was wrestling with far worse,
only he never once complained,
the idea of taking a break
not even crossing his mind for a moment.
He had a mission to fulfil,
a calling to honour,
and he wasn’t going to rest until he’d completed it,
however much it cost him.
Me, I took the first opportunity to cut and run.
So no, I couldn’t blame him –
I’d made my bed,
now I could lie on it.
Yet thankfully that wasn’t the end of the story,
for, though I didn’t deserve it,
there was someone else ready to give me another chance –
good old Barnabas.
It was typical of the man, really –
no wonder we’d called him ‘son of encouragement’ –
always ready to see the best,
to make allowances,
to draw out the good instead of dwell on the bad.
He may not have made the headlines like the others did,
but to many of us he was the star of the show,
his gentle prompting the secret behind so much of our success.
It was true for me, that’s for sure –
while some like Paul were writing me off,
he stepped in with a word of welcome,
and I needed no second bidding –
this time I would not fail.
I was right too,
for I can look back now on a life of service,
years of rich fulfilment in the cause of the kingdom,
and I thank God from the bottom of my heart
for that man who made it possible,
my friend Barnabas.
Only, as he never ceases to tell me, it isn’t him I owe it to,
not finally;
it’s Christ,
the one who is always there, however much we’ve failed,
however little we deserve it,
ready to put the past behind us
and help us start again!
Prayer
Lord,
it’s not easy to give someone a second chance,
especially when they’ve let us down personally.
It’s hard to overcome our feelings of hurt and anger,
and harder still to trust that person in the way we used to.
Yet you go on giving us another chance day after day,
and despite our repeated failure
you are willing still to entrust us
with the work of your kingdom.
Teach us, then,
instead of finding fault to look for strengths,
and instead of putting people down to lift them up.
Help us to forgive others as you forgive us,
and so may we offer a ministry of encouragement
to all we meet;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.