Day 207- Encourage Your Inner Child
📖Daily Reading
Mark 8-9
🎥 Video
Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.
📝 Reflection
Mark 9: 24
The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark seems to be speaking directly to my heart in a new way. Maybe he is waking up my inner child and reassuring and encouraging her! In the section of the chapter where we find this verse it is in regards to a son who is demon possessed and the disciples were trying to cast him out, but it wasn’t working and Jesus came along to help and the father is explaining how the evil spirit has been harming his sone and then says “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”. Jesus responds with what do you mean ‘if I can?’ Anything is possible if a person believes.” At the end of the story, the disciples are asking Jesus why they weren’t’ able to cast out the evil spirit. (29) Jesus replied “This kind can be cast out only by prayer’.
I think he is telling us that the words that the father cried out was received as a prayer. WOW! I need to pray like this more! Again this is the paradox that Jesus asks us to hold and live in. On the heals of this story is a scene that has the disciples arguing who among them will be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus goes on to tell them “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Then he goes a step further and puts a child in their midst and says (37) “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
Then is the next story, there is almost a tattle tale situation. John comes to Jesus and says that they saw someone using his name to cast out demons, ‘but we told him to stop because he was’t in our group’. Jesus immediately says (39) “Don’t stop him!” “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.” “But if you cause one these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around you neck…” (39-42)
I just love how the stories are interweaved or ‘hyperlinked’ and embedded within each other. The constant thread of a child like faith shows up. There is a child that needs saving in the first story and the father has to tap into his child like faith and desperate and powerful prayer. We literally are introduced to a child that is used as an example to the discloses who are falling into very human thinking and wanting to be set apart and set above. Their egos are really wanting to get recognition. I am sure it must have been very tempting to feel very special and better than others as Jesus ‘chosen’ inner circle and apostles. That is part of what kicks in in the third example as well. ‘Hey, only we have the ‘right’ to use Jesus’ name to heal and cast demons’.
I am sure Jesus response in all of these situations was really surprising to the disciples. What a lesson in action though and for us as readers too if we really pay attention. When you look at the qualities that children have, things that came to my mind are; innocence, curious, openness, excitement, encouragement, learning, vulnerable, willing to try new things, belief in the impossible, imagination, wonder, playful etc…
As adults we lose touch with many of our childlike qualities, but we have inner child that is waiting to be encourage to come out and be acknowledged. If we can encourage and bring our inner child out to ‘play’ a little more this will actually increase our faith not diminish it. I think it also enhances our enjoyment of life in general. I think it comes back to fear as well that keeps our inner child quiet and locked away. Fear of being thought of as weird, wrong or foolish for believing in the unbelievable and the impossible. We can encourage and be encouraged to pray as this desperate father did “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief”.
✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt
How can you encourage your inner child?
📖Tomorrows Reading
Mark 10-11
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