Turn Around, You're A Young Man

These are pictures of our two friends, Caleb and Connor Knight. They are identical twins, and I took these pictures because they just turned 10. We have pictures of them every year around their birthdays. This is because we have known them all their lives. Even before they were born, when their mom was pregnant. And this year was the first time I noticed a big difference in our visit. When we got to their house, I was amazed to find that they weren’t there. Not the boys I had known, anyway. To put it another way, I was greeted by two mature young adults. Ouch! Time moves on. Now I must tell you that I still have some problems telling these boys apart. But if I spend just a little time with them, no problem. I can always tell their names by their actions and personalities. Because they are alike only in looks and very different in personality. But one thing they did share last night was an amazing amount of maturity. No playing or running around this time. They both sat quietly in the living room with us and we had a good conversation. And these boys can converse! They are highly intelligent and have been in the gifted classes in school. I loved hearing them talk about their new school year and other things going on in their lives. There was another one who was much smarter than the average child, and had wisdom beyond his years. When Jesus was just two years older than Caleb and Connor, his parents were on a trip, and He stayed behind when they left, without their knowledge. They didn’t miss Him till they had traveled for a day. A whole day! Of course they turned around and went right back. I imagine that they were frantic. Once they returned to their point of departure, it took more than a day of searching to find Him. Yikes! He had spent the time in the Temple sitting with the teachers listening and asking questions. And everyone who heard him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. Amazingly, the Bible does not say if He was disciplined or punished in any way. I wonder if He was, but it was just not recorded? Here’s something else to think about. Jesus didn’t apologize. When his frantic parents found him, He said “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Interesting stuff. Perhaps Mary was thinking that this was not a bad thing, though. Because here’s the rest of the story. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And He grew in wisdom and stature. End of story? Hardly, just the beginning….