Luke 2: 41-51
In ten short verses from the gospel of Luke, we catch a rare glimpse of Jesus as a youth. Following a routine family trip to Jerusalem, Jesus goes missing from the family caravan. Upon arriving home in Nazareth, Jesus is nowhere to be found.
We don’t hear “I thought you had him!” and “No, he was supposed to be with you!”, but I imagine that’s in the longer version of the story. Three days pass before they retrace their footsteps all the way back to Jerusalem and find him there, seated in the temple, deep in discussion with the religious teachers. Mary and Joseph were frantic and furious, then joy-filled and in awe. Jesus was no ordinary twelve-year-old.
Parenting is like that - simultaneously joyful and terrifying. Our precious children grow up and we must let them go. They mature into the unique and talented adults God designed them to be, separate from us in wisdom and accomplishments. It’s been a bumpy road for us, but I so admire how our kids have faced hard challenges and worked to overcome them all.
Imagine for a moment how Mary and Joseph must have felt about Jesus.
Reflection by Kathy Rogers
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