Fancy this:
Joseph and Mary had gone with Jesus to the temple for the yearly feast of passover. It was the first time they were going with Him, and He was just twelve.
After the feast, they had been gone a day’s journey before they realized Jesus wasn’t with them. Up until now they had assumed He was with the travelling party, somewhere.
So they start asking, and no one had seen Him.
Did you ever imagine what it must have been like for them after they finally realized they had lost Jesus?
Try putting yourself in their shoes.
I might have hyperventilated, acted out, and made a monumental show of the situation, like, “Joseph, He was supposed to save the world from sin! That’s what the angel said! All we had to do was watch Him, but no, we had to go and lose the Son of the Highest! What is wrong with us!”
In no way, and by no standards am I a drama queen, but it would not have been a pretty sight because, “Joseph, what kind of people would do what we’ve just done! We lost the Son of God!”
So Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem, and after three days they found Him in the temple with the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
Those three days must not have been the easiest for them!
Please keep in mind that Jesus was the perfect child.
He was subject unto His parents.
He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Still, there was this one time when His parents might have had a severe case of consternation on His account.
So give yourself grace in your dealings with the children God has put in your care.
Remember that they belong first to Him. If you give them back to Him, He would take care of them. He is able.
And should you ever find yourself in the same situation as Joseph and Mary (even when it only seems like it)–
Breathe. Pray. And let God guide you.
This post may be linked up with these encouraging writers.
Thank you for sharing that reminder. As a mom I don’t always remember to breathe and trust them to the Lord. But I know that when I do He promises to be faithful!
And He is! Thanks for visiting, Naomi. Blessings to you.
I love the simplicity of the message (and the hilarity) in this post. Thanks for your words. 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Kelli. Blessings to you.
Great insight! We think we control everything in our life, but we need to remember all we have belongs to God!
So true, Emily. It all belongs to God. Thanks for visiting. Blessings to you.
I find it that it really gives the stories in the Bible life when we take the time to really imagine what the scene was like, or what the people involved were really thinking instead of just reading words on a page. I can’t imagine how panicked I would have been if I couldn’t find my child for 3 days. It would be a real test of faith to trust God in that kind of situation. Thanks for putting skin on this story!
Yes Karen, it helps to not read the Bible as only words on a page. Thanks for visiting. Blessings to you.
HA! What a great way of looking at it! If I ever lose my kids, I sure hope I find them in God’s house! Blessings!
That would be such a relief, Liz! Thanks for visiting. Blessings to you.
Thanks for the humorous post and great reminder!
Thanks for visiting, Kelly. Blessings to you.
I love this story. It gives me comfort. 🙂 And yes, this is good advice in every situation–> “Breathe. Pray. And let God guide you.” Thanks!
There’s always comfort in God’s Word! Thanks for visiting, Lisa. Blessings to you.
It’s hard to imagine how His parents must have felt at that moment when they realized He wasn’t there! Thanks for reminding us of how relatable people in the Bible really are. Blessings!
Thanks for visiting, Donna. Blessings to you.