Mark 5:25-29
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought [or said to herself], ‘If I just touch his clothes. I will be healed.’ Mark 5:27& 28NIV
Mark presents the story of a woman with a female medical issue. The story is told as an aside from a more important tale about a big-time synagogue ruler with a sick daughter. Mark describes the woman in three brief verses: 1) she had been sick for 12 years; 2) sought medical help from a variety of doctors, some of whom were quite pricey; and 3) her condition was worsening.
In telling the story, Mark implies that the woman was desperate. The day’s customs identified conditions such as hers as “unclean,” so she was forced to isolate herself for more than a decade. Can you imagine how disillusioned she probably had become with experts who seemed to know a lot but not enough to help her? Still, these unhelpful doctors expected payment.
Embedded in this story is a multitude of messages on spiritual, physical, social, and academic levels. But communication is the main adhesive. Every facet of life involves communication. Most of our communication is interpersonal because it tends to be between people, one or a few, and exists on a continuum from impersonal to highly personal. We communicate to connect with friends and meet new people, to advance our careers, to seek job promotions, and to let others know our perspective or views on a topic. We also communicate with others to build and sustain personal relationships, to meet a variety of needs, including information about the best doctors, noted specialists, and ailments cured by age-old home remedies. Once we acquire the information we need about these doctors, then we engage in group or team communication or quickly learn how to convey our desires and opinions to organizations.
If the sick woman was desperate, however, – and indeed it seemed she was since she deliberately joined a crowd to see a celebrity who was merely passing through – she is beyond the talking stage. Her desperation apparently blinded her to the fact that in her culture – with an issue of blood – anyone she encountered would be considered unclean. Consultation with experts, family, or friends had long ended. Encouragement came from within.
Intrapersonal communication is an undervalued skill, yet it plays a significant role in our lives. Communication with ourselves or self-talk is necessary to make plans for different activities, rehearse ways of acting in different environments, and prompt ourselves on how we will behave in various situations. Is intrapersonal communication merely jargon for thinking? Yes, since intrapersonal communication is a cognitive process that goes on inside us. Thinking relies on language. How we talk to ourselves can enhance or diminish self-esteem. We could easily say: “I am so stupid! Why did I do that?” The woman could have easily complained: “What an idiot I am for wasting my time and money on these useless doctors!” What we say to ourselves affects our feelings. We must challenge degrading or negative self-talk. The sick woman didn’t allow herself to say: “I’m doomed; woe is me! There is no hope.”
Listen to what the sick woman said. She urges herself on. The Bible said, “she had suffered a great deal” and “she grew worse.” Yet, she said: “I will be healed.”
Intrapersonal communication allows us to rehearse alternative scenarios: “If I just touch his clothes.” She has obviously thought through the various ways of dealing with her illness. Already she had tried the conventional ways: “she had spent all she had under the care of many doctors.” This time, she sought the unconventional approach. And it worked.
Verse 29 said: “Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”
SELF-CONCEPT AND YOUR COMMUNICATION
The way we view ourselves is influenced by our communication with family members, peers, and society. This is how we develop our self-concept. We do not have an innate sense of self. Instead, we slowly learn through interactions how others see us. We gradually internalize many of these views that others have of us, often reinforcing their perspective through intrapersonal communication. We tell ourselves, “Dad says I’m smarter than that. I can do better than a ‘C.’” “Mom says I’m pretty.” “I saw the look of disappointment in Ms. Smith’s eyes; she didn’t like my behavior.”
After we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we read the Bible, pray, and meditate on his Word. We also attend church services and join study groups so that we can gradually see ourselves as God sees us. In the Old Testament, King David tells us in Psalm 139:1: O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me.
Read the rest and you will learn how familiar God is with each of us: You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Not only does David exclaim “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” But he adds in verse 17: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!” So, if we develop our self-concept through our interactions with God and his Son Jesus, then our self-talk should be positive despite our circumstances, our environment, social or physical conditions
APPLICATION:
For 48 hours, use a recording device, notepad, journal, or calendar to note each time you talk to yourself. Document the time, situation, and exactly what you said to yourself. Try to describe your feelings after each episode. At the end of the second day, review what you have collected.
- How many messages did you note?
- How many were positive?
- How many were negative?
- How many messages dealt with self-concept?
- How many focused on abilities?
- How many were about intelligence?
- Can you trace any of these instances to experiences with parents, relatives, or friends?
- Identify one self-perception that you know came from your parent’s earliear appraisal of you.
Share what you found in the comment section here.
