Distractions and Faulty Assumptions

“And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him.” (Luke 2:45)  

One of the most heart-wrenching and, at the same time, embarrassing times of my life was the Sunday morning we returned home from church to discover we were one child short. We left him. Losing sight of our child was our fault, but to our credit, we had rounded up the children and headed outside with them, assuming each climbed into the vehicle as we did. Unknowingly, a distraction caused one child to drift from us, and he stayed behind. Thankfully, people were still on the premises, and he was safe. Though we lived only a few minutes away, the incident was nerve-rattling.

After celebrating Passover's yearly feast, Mary and Joseph left the temple, traveling in a large caravan of family and friends. After “rounding up” their family to return home, they assumed Jesus was with the other children as they headed out, but the twelve-year-old lingered. Jesus tarried not because of distractions but was “about His Father’s business,” listening to and teaching the Rabbis by asking them questions. It wasn’t Jesus’ fault that Mary and Joseph lost sight of Him; it was faulty assumptions. When His parents couldn’t find Him at the end of a day’s journey, they headed back to Jerusalem, finding Him three days later in the temple.

Have you lost sight of Jesus? In your day-to-day travels, did you leave Him somewhere along the way, or worse, dismiss Him? If you don’t see Jesus, it’s your fault, not His. If you are God’s child, turn around; Jesus is right where you left Him. If you have not yet surrendered your life to Christ, cry out to Him. Whether saved or lost, those who seek the Lord God with all their heart and soul, will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). He is not the baby in a manger or the Son of God hanging on a cross—He is the risen Savior, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Jesus is a prayer away and wants you to join Him in His Father’s family.

Our little boy didn’t understand the grief and “what ifs” his drifting caused that day. But he was never alone because God was with Him. Life’s distractions and faulty assumptions can cause you to lose sight of Jesus, and you feel abandoned, but you are not. As His child, you are never alone; our heavenly Father will never leave you nor lose sight of you (Hebrews 13:5).