“Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:51-52)

At this point the Gospel writers felt enough had been said about Jesus’ childhood and it was time to move the focus to His real reason for coming into the world. From age 12 to around 30 we have no knowledge as to what Jesus was doing. Was He learning the carpenter trade from Joseph? Would He become the “man” of the house after Joseph’s early death? There are a lot of questions with no answers. One thing is certain, however. Jesus was raised by God honoring parents. He respected these parents and willingly obeyed them. He grew in the knowledge of His mission through their teaching. He grew in physical stature. His development was exactly what the Father had planned.

We are not Jesus. We haven’t had the upbringing He had. If our parents were Godly and did all they could to place us on the right track, we are thankful. That track ultimately led us into the ministry of Jesus. Parental upbringing is so important. Many parents today have abdicated that responsibility. This has led to children, and eventually adults, who live troubled lives. May we also focus, like Jesus’ parents, on raising our children to grow up in favor with God and humankind.

Heavenly Father, we are all Your children. Raise us to walk our lives in Your favor. Guide us every step of the way from our trusting Your Son, to obeying Him and serving Him in the world. Continue the maturing process for us by the power of Your Spirit within us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.