The Right Connection

Everything went wrong. Nothing really shine. We didn't really see ourselves useful.

Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you."

That burden feeling wasn't always true, for it could be another way around. We have to be cautious when we inspect our connection. For our connection is the only reason we shine. We may shine because we properly connected to the source and the source to us.

Our light blub may not function because it was broken or because it wasn't connected properly. We often assumed that the light blub was broken. We assumed that someone lacked the potential. We assumed that the person didn't try hard enough. In Acts 15, Paul thought that it's better not to bring John Mark with them because he "had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work", but Barnabas disagreed. So they both had to go his ways. Paul took Silas and Barnabas took John Mark. As the result, they shined. John Mark may not be the right connection for Paul, but he was the right connection for Barnabas. And Silas may be the right connection for Paul. So they shone!

Barnabas is a wise and patient guy. He took the broken Saul and discipled him into Paul. When Paul thought that John Mark is useless, Barnabas also took him away from Paul and discipled him. It wasn't that Paul was broken or that John Mark was broken, but that they weren't in the right connection.