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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me remember that popularity isn't really important! Amen.

A sick man begged Jesus, "If you want to, you can heal me." Jesus felt sorry for him and said, "I do want to. Be healed." And the man was! Jesus asked him not to tell anyone, but the man couldn't help it and told everybody. Then Jesus got so famous, He couldn't even go into a town without being mobbed.

Popularity is a funny thing. Some kids seem to be popular for reasons you don't understand; others try really hard, but never make it into the "in crowd." Still others don't care if they're popular - and those are the best kids to be friends with!

This week's Gospel (Mark 1:40-45) is about popularity. Jesus has been teaching for a while, trying to help people get closer to God. Some people like Him; others don't. But when He does miracles, He's suddenly more popular than He may have expected.

One way some kids go from unpopular to popular is a big change. The kid who gets the newest game system or invites the whole class to a birthday party suddenly seems more popular. That can be sad, because a kid can suddenly be noticed for reasons that have nothing to do with who he or she is.

That's how it was for Jesus. He'd been helping people right along, but in the Gospel story, He cures one man and the man tells everyone, and Jesus is suddenly popular.

Why would Jesus have asked the man not to tell? Look at what happened: People who may not have followed Jesus before were now begging Him to do miracles all the time. Jesus wanted people not just to like Him for His miracles, but to follow Him because He would help them get closer to God.

Popularity isn't really important. It can go up and down, like it did for Jesus. What's important is being kind to other kids, whether you're popular or not, and being true to yourself![[In-content Ad]]

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