How about the story in chapter 16? Paul and Silas were irritated with a woman who had a spirit of divination. She called attention to Paul and Silas in ways that were not appropriate. Irritated, Paul called in the name of Jesus Christ, for the spirit to come out of her, and it did. But by calling the spirit to come out of her, she could not make money for her owners. The owners were furious with Paul and Silas and had them brought before the magistrates who had them beaten with rods and put in prison. That night the earth shook and the chains were broken for Paul and Silas but they refused to escape. When the magistrates learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and that they refused to leave they became afraid and apologized.
Imagine being beaten for no good reason, placed in prison and awakening to your captors wanting you to leave as they realized they made a mistake. How do you erase the bloody backs? How do you simply say, oops and expect everything to be all right? For Paul and Silas even a beating and imprisonment meant an opportunity to proclaim the risen Christ to people be it prisoners, magistrates, guards or fellow citizens. Every situation was a time to tell their story because they realized that their story was not theirs alone. It belonged to God and it was God’s story of how God continues to come to us even in the midst of pain and suffering, mistakes and promises. The story is one of new beginnings.
Have you ever made a mistake that rattled your understanding? Have you ever experienced pain and suffering because of a misunderstanding? What was your resolution? Was God in the midst?
Brave journey,
-+Morris