Raising Jesus

So often, we think we know what God is doing (or what He should be doing) in the situations we face. Most of our misunderstanding about God’s plan comes down to thinking that the story unfolding in our lives is all about us or all about ‘right now.’ Luke includes a story – the only one we have – from Jesus’ childhood. In these events, you might be surprised to see that Mary and Joseph had normal parental jobs in raising Jesus, and even normal panic attacks. But as Mary recounts this story to Luke many years later, she has a different perspective about what God was doing. It turns out that God was doing something bigger and more long term than what they saw in this moment. It wasn’t about them, it was about God’s plan. And in that plan, everyone could take their role without trying to make themselves more important or central than God’s calling in their lives.