“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46 ESV).
Twelve year old Jesus traveled with his family to Jerusalem for the Passover festival as they did every year. They traveled with a large entourage of friends and family from Nazareth. It was a wonderfully joyous annual holiday. Yet, after traveling a day’s journey on the way back home, his parents realized that Jesus wasn’t with them.
Can you imagine the frantic one day journey back to Jerusalem to look for him? Finally, on the third day (One day out, one day back, discovered on the third day), they found him in the Temple courts talking with the religious teachers.
This story illustrates how easy it is to move forward in life, assuming Jesus is with us, only to later realize we have been walking without Him. Like Mary and Joseph, we can become so focused on the journey—our routines, responsibilities, and distractions—that we lose awareness of His presence. The real question is: How long will it take for us to notice? How many days will pass before we realize we haven’t been seeking Him?
This passage challenges us to examine how often we go about the day without acknowledging Jesus. Do we wake up and move forward with our plans without seeking His guidance? Do we find ourselves anxious and weary before realizing we’ve been relying on our own strength? Instead of waiting until we’re lost or overwhelmed, let’s decide to stay close to Jesus every moment. Let us grow in our love and awareness of Jesus, so that we never go even three seconds, much less three days, without Him.
Today, let us pause and intentionally invite Jesus into every part of our day. Let us not assume He is walking with us—let us make sure we are walking with Him.
PRAYER: Dear Father, forgive us for those days when we rush out without talking to Jesus and asking for His direction. We want to always follow Him in everything. Strengthen us for today’s journey. In Jesus’ name, amen.