Friday, October 2, 2015
There is an interesting little story in the 2nd chapter of Luke concerning the time when Joseph and Mary momentarily lost Jesus, who was 12 years old at the time. I trust you will read it at your next opportunity. The story has some good lessons and comparisons I would like to share with you today. If you have ever lost track of one of your children, whether at home or in a public setting, even if it was only for an hour, you know how terrifying it can be. I had one such experience with my granddaughter, Aderyn, when she was in pre-school. Actually, it may have been the scare of my life. She was tiny and petite, and so small she couldn’t even reach the bottom of our mail box. She was a little trickster as well and would often hide from me whenever I would leave her alone in the kitchen. One day, she hid so well it took me over an hour to find her and the longer I searched the greater the panic I felt, not to mention the thoughts that kept racing through my head, like “What kind of grandparent am I” or “what am I going to tell her parents?” I looked inside and out and even considered calling the police, when I finally found her in one of the rooms I had checked on before. There just happened to be a blanket on the floor and it seemed like it was lying flat, but wouldn't you know it? She was fast asleep under it. I didn’t know if I wanted to wake her up and spank her, or just hug her real tight at the huge relief.
In the biblical account, Joseph and Mary just assumed Jesus was in the company of friends and family when they left Jerusalem after the Feast of the Passover. In the spiritual comparison, how many times do we relax and get careless in our duties and obligations just because we assume that Jesus is with us. When they went back to Jerusalem, they found Him three days later, sitting among the teachers and elders, listening and also asking questions. When they saw Him, His parents scolded Him for having treated them this way. Wasn’t it rather their responsibility for making sure that He was with them before they left on their journey? How often do God’s children complain to Him for having left them, when all the while it is they who have left Him?
The third comparison I want to point out today is the fact that, in the end, Jesus was at the very place where they had left Him. Dear Child of God, have you lost track of Christ for whatever reason? You will find Him where you left Him. Was it after a crisis in your life or on the day one of your loved ones died? Did you get angry with Him and let Him know it in no uncertain terms? If you have lost Jesus for whatever reason, let me plead with you to go back to Him today. C’mon now, you know where He is.
Bible verse for the week: (1 John 3:19-20 KJV) “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”
