Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
- Mark 1:36-37
 
Jesus was on the verge of being famous. It’s hard for us to imagine a time when Jesus wasn’t famous. We date our calendars around the year of his birth. Images of him fill our art museums. His name even gets used in polite cursing. But there was a time when few people knew his name.
 
Simon and his companions assumed that a bigger crowd would be better. They assumed Jesus would want to capture momentum and attract eyeballs. The demand of the “Everyone” determined the shape of their activity.
 
But what would Jesus do?
 
You can look ahead in the story to find out. Or you can rest here for a moment.
 
What would you do if – in a positive way – “Everyone is looking for you!”?
 
How does the tug of popularity pull on your heart? Different people respond to this pull in different ways. Some feel exhausted by the pressure. Others feel invigorated. Popularity can be a dream come true or a living nightmare. Some ignore the crowd altogether, while others adapt themselves to the new opportunities attention affords.
 
What’s your natural orientation in this arena? In prayer today, identify how you respond to the pull of popularity. Ask the Lord to help you see where your responses are healthy and where they’re not. Ask him to help you celebrate and continue what’s healthy and turn away from what’s not.