I sometimes find myself wondering what it would have been like to travel with the apostles—spreading the gospel, walking into the unknown, following God with nothing but faith and purpose. The early missionary journeys must have been exhilarating… and exhausting.

Take the apostle Paul, for example.
He had a reputation—bold, brilliant, relentless.
He didn’t hold back. He challenged everything. And his boldness often landed him—and those traveling with him—in trouble.

Silas was beaten and imprisoned for standing with Paul.
Others suffered alongside him.
And some, it seems, just couldn’t keep up.

John Mark might have been one of those.

When the Journey Felt Too Hard

Mark started strong.
He joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, setting out from Antioch with high hopes. They traveled across Cyprus, teaching and ministering wherever they went. But when the team reached Pamphylia—modern-day Turkey—Mark left. Scripture simply tells us that he returned to Jerusalem.

We don’t get much detail.
Was he overwhelmed? Homesick? Discouraged?
We don’t know why he left—only that he did.

And Paul didn’t forget.

Later, when another missionary journey was forming, Paul refused to let Mark come along. He saw Mark’s departure as abandonment. But Barnabas—true to his name, “Son of Encouragement”—saw something different.

He saw a young man who deserved another chance.

When the Team Divides—and Grace Prevails

Paul and Barnabas disagreed so strongly over Mark that they went separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and continued his own outreach. Paul chose Silas as his new partner.

But here’s what I love:
Scripture doesn’t frame this as a permanent rift.

Over time, Mark grew into a faithful, trusted disciple.
In fact, later on, Paul would refer to him as “useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).
That’s quite the turnaround—from unreliable companion to beloved co-laborer.

It’s a beautiful reminder that conflict doesn’t have to mean the end.

Sometimes, it opens the door for growth.
Sometimes, it clarifies values and direction.
Sometimes, it leads us right back to grace.

We Serve the God of Second Chances

I imagine Mark didn’t enjoy being the reason two giants of the faith disagreed.
But I also imagine he never forgot that someone believed in him.

That second chance shaped his story.

And it reminds me of my own.
Of all the times God has given me another chance—when I didn’t earn it, when I knew better, when I failed anyway.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8

Even while we were still in conflict with Him—He made a way to reconcile us to Himself.
He stepped in.
He bore the weight.
He chose grace.

That truth still astonishes me.

A Closing Thought

We talk a lot about grace in theory, but when we really see it in practice—in the restoration of Mark, in the mercy God extends to us—it should leave us speechless.

So today, if you’re carrying the sting of failure…
If you feel like you’ve missed your chance…
If you’re wondering if God can still use someone like you—

Remember this: He is the God of the second chance.

He gave one to Mark.
He gave one to Paul.
He gave one to me.
And He will give one to you.

What an amazing God.