Luke 2:43 glossed over it so fast, but…WHAT?! are you freaking kidding me?! Mary and Joseph lost Jesus! For 3 days! Can you imagine a picture of 12-year-old Jesus on a milk carton? How can they lose Jesus?! He’s only the most important person in the world!
As a parent myself, with my attention constantly divided, I can empathize. When I can’t find my toddler for 30 seconds, sheer panic sets in. But can you imagine Joseph praying, “Uh God? You know that Messiah you sent us? uhm, do you have another one? what? Only-begotten? crap!”
Just imagine the arguments between Mary and Joseph on the camel-ride back to the temple. “I thought he was with you!” You think you messed up? You think you dropped the ball in the final seconds of the game? The salvation of the world was on the line and Mary&Joe blew it. Whatever mistake you’ve made in life can’t possibly be worse.
But was it the end of the world? Did tragedy bring even God to despair? However horrible the situation, it’s never beyond the sovereignty of God. He has a plan for us that can’t be thwarted by even the most foolish mistakes. God is in control.
Did something good come out of it? That’s the wrong question. There was nothing good about losing Jesus, no matter how you look at it. But even in the worst circumstance, when you want to scream at the world, or at yourself, know that God is already at work to make his plans come true, whether in saving the world, or helping you in…finding Jesus
As a parent myself, with my attention constantly divided, I can empathize. When I can’t find my toddler for 30 seconds, sheer panic sets in. But can you imagine Joseph praying, “Uh God? You know that Messiah you sent us? uhm, do you have another one? what? Only-begotten? crap!”
Just imagine the arguments between Mary and Joseph on the camel-ride back to the temple. “I thought he was with you!” You think you messed up? You think you dropped the ball in the final seconds of the game? The salvation of the world was on the line and Mary&Joe blew it. Whatever mistake you’ve made in life can’t possibly be worse.
But was it the end of the world? Did tragedy bring even God to despair? However horrible the situation, it’s never beyond the sovereignty of God. He has a plan for us that can’t be thwarted by even the most foolish mistakes. God is in control.
Did something good come out of it? That’s the wrong question. There was nothing good about losing Jesus, no matter how you look at it. But even in the worst circumstance, when you want to scream at the world, or at yourself, know that God is already at work to make his plans come true, whether in saving the world, or helping you in…finding Jesus