MidReal Story
Second Chances on Sacred Roads
Scenario: I am John Mark in the Bible and I left Paul and Barnabus on a missionary trip but wanted a second chance. Barnabus took me with him and Paul took Silas and we went in two different directions.
Create my version of this story
Barnabas
experienced missionary and mentor to John Mark, friend of Paul, tall with a graying beard, wise and compassionate.
John Mark
the central character seeking redemption, relationships with Barnabas and Paul, short with curly brown hair, determined and introspective.
Paul
influential apostle with high standards, former mentor to John Mark, muscular build with piercing eyes, strict yet fair.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
I’m actually doing this.
I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long, and now that it’s here, I can hardly believe it.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I stand on the deck of the ship, staring out at the open sea.
The wind is whipping through my hair, and the salty spray of the ocean is stinging my face.
It’s a beautiful day, but I can hardly appreciate it.
All I can think about is what lies ahead of me.
What I’m about to do.
I’m on a ship, journeying to a foreign land with my fellow disciple.
But he’s more than that.
He’s also my mentor, my guide, the one who is helping me to find my way back to the path I was meant to be on.
The path I strayed from for too long.
The path that will eventually lead me to my redemption.
I may not be who he wants me to be yet, but I’m determined to become that person.
I’m determined to prove myself to him, and to all of those who have put their trust in me once again.
And this time, I won’t fail them.
I won’t let them down like I did before.
No, this time, I’ll be the man they need me to be.
The man I was always meant to be.
It’s been a long time since I’ve stepped onto a ship, but it feels like just yesterday that I was sailing through these very waters with Paul and Barnabas on our first missionary journey together.
It feels like just yesterday that I was filled with such hope and excitement and determination to spread the word of God to as many people as possible.
But then we hit rough waters, and things didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped.
And then things went from bad to worse, and before I knew it, I was running back home with my tail between my legs.
I don’t think about it often, but when I do, it still haunts me.
The things I should have done differently, the things I would have done differently if given a second chance.
It’s been several years since then, and I’ve grown so much since that fateful day when I left Paul and Barnabas behind in Asia Minor.
I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I’ve worked hard to make amends for them.
And now, they’re giving me a second chance to prove myself to them, to prove that I’m not the coward they once thought I was.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
I’m actually doing this.
I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long, and now that it’s here, I can hardly believe it.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I stand on the deck of the ship, staring out at the open sea.
The wind is whipping through my hair, and the salty spray of the ocean is stinging my face.
It’s a beautiful day, but I can hardly appreciate it.
All I can think about is what lies ahead of me.
What I’m about to do.
What I’m about to become.
I’m on a ship, journeying to a foreign land with my fellow disciple.
But he’s more than that.
He’s also my mentor, my guide, the one who is helping me to find my way back to the path I was meant to be on.
The path I strayed from for too long.
The path that will eventually lead me to my redemption.
I may not be who he wants me to be yet, but I’m determined to become that person.
I’m determined to prove myself to him, and to all of those who have put their trust in me once again.
And this time, I won’t fail them.
I won’t let them down like I did before.
No, this time, I’ll be the man they need me to be.The man I was always meant to be.
It’s been a long time since I’ve stepped onto a ship, but it feels like just yesterday that I was sailing through these very waters with Paul and Barnabas on our first missionary journey together.
It feels like just yesterday that I was filled with such hope and excitement and determination to spread the word of God to as many people as possible.
But then we hit rough waters, and things didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped.
And then things went from bad to worse, and before I knew it, I was running back home with my tail between my legs.
I don’t think about it often, but when I do, it still haunts me.
The things I should have done differently, the things I would have done differently if given a second chance.It’s been several years since then, and I’ve grown so much since that fateful day when I left Paul and Barnabas behind in Asia Minor.
I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I’ve worked hard to make amends for them.
And now, they’re giving me a second chance to prove myself to them, to prove that I’m not the coward they once thought I was.
As we sail across the sea toward Asia Minor once again, my mind is flooded with memories of our last trip together, as well as all of the mistakes that I made along the way.
Mistakes that I could never take back or undo or make right again.
We’re approaching Perga soon—a city in Pamphylia that Paul left us during our last journey together—and my anxiety is starting to build as we draw nearer to it with each passing hour.
I can’t help but wonder where Paul is right now, or what he’s doing as we speak.
He’s probably still out on his missionary journey, spreading God’s word to as many people as possible in all of the cities that we once visited together last time around.
The thought of him being out there alone without me by his side or anyone else to keep him safe makes my heart ache with guilt and regret for leaving him behind like that, especially in a place like Asia Minor where we had faced so many trials together on our first journey out of Jerusalem as a missionary team.
It’s been several years since our last journey together, but the thought of what Paul could be going through right now is still haunting me.
And it’s making me even more anxious about this trip.
I know that I’m not the same person I was back then when I abandoned them in Perga.
I’m not the same man who started out on that first journey with Barnabas all those years ago.
I’ve learned so much since then, and I’ve grown stronger and wiser because of it.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still terrified of failing again.
And now that we’re returning to Asia Minor to face our past mistakes head-on, it’s hard not to let those fears consume me.
The thought of him being out there alone without me by his side or anyone else to keep him safe makes my heart ache with guilt and regret for leaving him behind like that, especially in a place like Asia Minor where we had faced so many trials together on our first journey out of Jerusalem as a missionary team.
It’s been several years since our last journey together, but the thought of what Paul could be going through right now is still haunting me.
And it’s making me even more anxious about this trip.
I know that I’m not the same person I was back then when I abandoned them in Perga.
I’m not the same man who started out on that first journey with Barnabas all those years ago.
I’ve learned so much since then, and I’ve grown stronger and wiser because of it.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still terrified of failing again.
And now that we’re returning to Asia Minor to face our past mistakes head-on, it’s hard not to let those fears consume me.
Barnabas must have sensed my anxiety building up inside me because he suddenly reaches out to place a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"It’s okay," he says softly.
"You don’t have to be afraid of failing again."
I look up at him, my eyes filled with tears of relief at his kind words.
"But what if I do fail? What if I mess everything up again like last time?"
Barnabas gives me a reassuring smile.
"You’re not alone in this, John Mark," he says gently.
"I’m here with you, every step of the way.
And I will never abandon you, no matter what happens.
You are my son in Christ, and I love you very much.
I know how much it hurts to feel rejected by others, or abandoned by those we care about the most.
I’ve been there before, too.
And I know how much it hurts to be all alone in the world with no one there to stand by your side during your darkest hours.
But I want you to know that you will never have to face those kinds of trials alone ever again.
You are not alone in this, John Mark.
And you never will be.
I promise."
I look up at him, my eyes filled with tears at his kind words.
"I’m so sorry, Barnabas," I whisper.
"I know how much I’ve let you down in the past.
And I don’t want to do that again this time around.
But I’m just so scared of failing you all over again, or ruining everything like before."
Barnabas gives me a warm smile.
"It’s okay, John Mark," he says softly.
"I know that you’re still afraid of failing us again, even after all these years.
And that’s okay.
We all have our own fears to deal with when it comes to going out on a mission for God.
I know that you’re still struggling with your past mistakes and that it’s still hard for you to forgive yourself for what happened back then.
But I want you to know that I believe in you, John Mark.
I believe in your potential to do great things for God in this world, more than anyone else ever has before.
Even more than Paul did when we first started out on our missionary journey together."
I look up at him in surprise, my eyes wide with shock at his words.
"You really mean that?"
I ask him in disbelief.
He gives me a warm smile.
"Yes, John Mark," he says gently.
"I really do mean that.
I have always believed in your potential to do great things for God in this world.
And I know that you’re still struggling with your past mistakes right now.
But that’s okay.
Because I know that you have what it takes to overcome them and to do great things for God in this world someday."
I give him a grateful smile, my heart filled with relief at his kind words of reassurance.
"Thank you, Barnabas," I whisper.
"I just hope that I can live up to your expectations of me this time around."
As we draw near to the port of Perga in Pamphylia once again, my heart fills with a mixture of emotions as I gaze out at the city before us with a troubled expression on my face.
This city represents so many things to me; the place where I made my biggest mistake and disappointed Paul and Barnabas, the people who have always believed in me when no one else did, the ones who have always been there to love me and support me when I needed them the most.
And yet, I know that I almost lost them forever because of what I did back then.
Because I allowed my own fears and doubts to get the best of me and to ruin what could have been the start of something great for me and my fellow believers in Christ throughout the world.
And now, here we are, about to disembark from our ship once again and to begin our missionary journey together as fellow coworkers for Christ.
I force myself to take a deep breath and to focus on the tasks at hand, trying my best to hide my anxiety from Barnabas as we prepare to leave our ship and to explore the city’s many streets and alleyways together.
But I know that he can sense my distress, even though he still does his best to hide his own emotions from me as well.
"Are you alright, John Mark?"
he asks me gently, his voice filled with concern.
"You seem troubled about something."
I nod slowly.
"I’m fine, Barnabas," I tell him quietly.
"I just can’t help but feel like I’m reliving those days all over again, only this time around, I know what to expect and what challenges lie ahead for us in this new territory that we’re about to enter into together."
Barnabas gives me a warm smile.
"I know how you feel, John Mark," he says gently, placing a kind hand on my shoulder.
"But I want you to know that you’re not alone in this.
I have been there before, too.
And I know how hard it is to deal with rejection from others.
Especially when it comes from our fellow believers in Christ.
And yet, I know that I almost lost them forever because of what I did back then.
Because I allowed my own fears and doubts to get the best of me and to ruin what could have been the start of something great for me and my fellow believers in Christ throughout the world.
And now, here we are, about to disembark from our ship once again and to begin our missionary journey together as fellow coworkers for Christ.I force myself to take a deep breath and to focus on the tasks at hand, trying my best to hide my anxiety from Barnabas as we prepare to leave our ship and to explore the city’s many streets and alleyways together.
But I know that he can sense my distress, even though he still does his best to hide his own emotions from me as well.
"Are you alright, John Mark?"
he asks me gently, his voice filled with concern.
"You seem troubled about something."
I nod slowly.
"I’m fine, Barnabas," I tell him quietly.
"I just can’t help but feel like I’m reliving those days all over again, only this time around, I know what to expect and what challenges lie ahead for us in this new territory that we’re about to enter into together."
Barnabas gives me a warm smile.
"I know how you feel, John Mark," he says gently, placing a kind hand on my shoulder.
"But I want you to know that you’re not alone in this.
I have been there before, too.
And I know how hard it is to deal with rejection from others.
"Especially when it comes from our fellow believers in Christ.
I know what it feels like to be rejected by those who are supposed to love us the most.
Even the apostles in Jerusalem didn’t believe in me at first.
They thought that I was just some kind of troublemaker who was out to cause problems for them by spreading lies about Jesus being the Messiah.
And they didn’t want anything to do with me or my ministry work either.
But it all worked out in the end.
Because there were a few people who did believe in me and who were willing to give me a second chance to prove myself to them.
And now here we are together as fellow missionaries for Christ.
So don’t get too discouraged or anxious about this whole thing, John Mark.
Just remember that you’re not alone in this journey.
And that you have a lot of people who love you and care for you.
And who will do anything in their power to help you succeed in your missionary work throughout the world."
I nod slowly as I listen carefully to Barnabas’ encouraging words of wisdom and advice.
Because I know that he’s right about everything that he has said to me so far.
I’ve been given a second chance to redeem myself once again before my fellow believers in Christ in this city of Perga.
And this time around, I am not about to let them down or to disappoint them anymore than I already have in the past.
Because I don’t want to have any regrets about my decision to come here with Barnabas and our fellow coworkers for Christ.