Just Keep Walking

Acts 15:37-39

Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.

A man named Mark Coleman loves to hike, and he wanted to pass that love on to his son, Peter. So, when Peter was only 5 years old, Coleman planned an easy hike on the northern part of the Appalachian Trail. His plan was to walk around a mountain to a lake in Vermont where they would spend the night. Coleman made thorough preparations for the trip, which included coaching his son. Over and over Coleman told his boy that it would be tough, and it was okay to be tired, but they had to keep on walking. They had to keep on walking.

Unfortunately, the walking was longer and tougher than expected, because Coleman accidently led them OVER the mountain, not AROUND it. The trail was steep and broken. Little Peter stumbled time after time on loose rocks, but they kept on walking. The hike was a burden, not a joy, but they kept on walking. Peter fell so many times that he ripped the knees of his jeans, but he kept on walking. Finally, after one fall too many, he sat and cried.

As Mark approached him and began to speak, Peter cut him off: “I know, Dad. It's okay to cry, as long as I keep on walking.”

It’s okay to fail, just be sure to get back up. John Mark had left Paul’s missionary group in what appeared to be less than honorable terms. In fact, it was so bad that when it was time to go on, Paul said, “I’m not going with THAT guy…”

LWhat a humiliation for John Mark! It’s bad enough to mess up, but then to get called out for it is even worse.

But to God, failure isn’t fatal. Later, Paul would come to value John Mark and his contributions (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11).

If you have failed God, and we all have, you need to get back up, dust off your britches and get moving again. Failure isn’t fatal, but giving up is.

And remember, after failure comes the comeback. It’s okay to cry, just keep walking!

Today’s Readings: Leviticus 7-9; Acts 15

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