When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Have you ever been in the middle of a task or a journey and become so distracted by something that you forgot your destination? It doesn’t take much at times to distract us from our objectives, and this is true whether it is remembering what we needed from the fridge or remembering the prompting God has put on our hearts. When Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the temple, they were genuinely perplexed. Some time passed since they had received the prophecy about Him and, in the meantime, He had grown just like any other child.

When God is doing a long work in our lives, it is easy to forget that He is indeed working. We forget that the friend we started investing in to share Jesus with still needs prayer and intentional discussion as we get comfortable talking to him or her about the regular moments of life. We forget the calling God gave us as parents to disciple our children while we live in the good and hard moments of life. We forget our call to love our neighbors when it feels like an awkward amount of time has passed since we talked to them.

In this moment, Jesus showed no disrespect to His earthly parents, He simply reminded them of His purpose to anchor them in God’s truth once again. He continued to be their Son, to obey, and to grow. Life went on, but Mary was reminded of the grand narrative she was a part of. If you have lost your way, forgetting the purpose God has given you in your family, neighborhood, or workplace, take heart. God knows we are prone to forget, and His correction and direction remind us that there are greater things at work than what we see with our eyes. When you live in Him and for Him, your everyday moments are full of meaning that can remind you of His purposes.

• How do you see God’s purpose in your life?
• What are some things that distract you from God’s purpose in your life?
• Pray and ask God to give you the self-control and discernment to cut out things that distract you from Him and to remind you where He is at work in your life.