Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
So they shook the dust off their feet... --
When Paul and Barnabas failed at Antioch of Pisidia, they didn't spend a lot of time in exit interviews. They just shook the dust off their feet and moved down the road. The next thing we are told is that they "were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." The order is important. When we clean off our feet, the Spirit cleans out our hearts and gives us joy.
Sooner or later every journey of faith leads a person through Antioch of Pisidia. It's the place where you fail. But the Bible doesn't give us as much time to grieve our failures as it does our loved ones who die. Don't treat a failure at work like a funeral. Just keep moving. But first, make sure you have shaken off all the dust from Antioch, or you will track failure into the new opportunity. Stop defending, blaming, cursing, and whining. Shake it off. Even if you had succeeded, they wouldn't have adored you for long.
At Lystra, a city down the road, the people tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods. This is much more dangerous than failing. It's only a matter of time before everyone discovers you're not a god, and then they're going to stone you as they did Paul. People always destroy the gods they create. Always. So it's even more important that you know how to shake off adoration than failure. Keep your feet clean and the Spirit will keep you joyful, which is so much better than being adored.
-- Craig Barnes