Following The Call

And when he was twelve years old…the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.  After three days they found him in the temple… Luke 2:41-52  I’ve known several people who have consciously felt called in to the presence of the divine at very early ages. Why some and not others – who knows? What’s important is getting to the point of understanding that divine spirit does exist. Divine presence leads to truth about who we really are and to whom we really belong. Up until that point however we often go through struggles concerning obedience. To whom do we listen and follow? This passage however brings up a question for me to which I wrestle with its implications. At the age of 12 does Jesus dishonor his parents by not remaining with them or was he honoring God by remaining in the Temple?