Preface . . . I grew up in the church, I have a degree in pastoral ministry, and have been doing some sort of church ministry since I started preaching at the age of 15. Now that you know all that, let me just say, I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN!!!
Last weekend I got to do my first baby/child dedication. Like many who "grew up in the church," I've seen this dozens of times, but have never been the one doing it. Luckily for me it was for an awesome family. I prayed for this beautiful, one-year-old angel, then had the dad pray for himself and his wife. It was so great to see and hear this father pray for his little girl. It was really cool to be a part of something like that.
It got me to thinking about Jesus growing up. Did he have moments when he thought, "I have so much to learn"? Did He get nervous the first time he spoke in front of large crowds? Did He ever walk off the mountain thinking, "I could have done better. If I'd only used that ONE parable"? Did he ever have to review the instructions for a special ceremony? Who knows, maybe he did everything right the first time, but the Bible does say he grew in wisdom, which means at one point he had room to grow. Luke 2:52
This reminds me of the Rich Mullins song "Man Like You/Boy Like Me." You can read the lyrics here: Man Like You lyrics
Whether Jesus had to learn as he went along or had it all figured out at the age of 12 in the temple, it feels good to know that someone has walked in these shoes. Whether Jesus as a pre-teen or other pastors out there who have survived the rigors of ministry. It's good to not be alone.
"God, grow our hearts to be like the one you put in your only Son! Help us to love like He did, sacrifice like He did and, probably toughest of all, forgive like He did. I know we all still have lots of learning to do but we're working on it, thanks for being patient."
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