in my Father's house...

Yesterday I read Luke 2 and a passage that I have read over and over again my entire life stuck out to me in a new way this time.

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

When I first read the highlighted verse, I thought to myself, "Jesus, you should have known that your parents would be worried!  Why did you just 'sneak off' like that??"  Then I realized that Jesus was having his moment of "rebellious independence"!  Even good little homeschooled Christian girls like me have that time in their life where one needs to make a move to branch out from their childhood routine, often times at expense of their worried parents.  

The temple was Jesus's "Father's house".  It was the first place where He seemed to take ownership of His ministry and the plans for His life.  And I wondered to myself, "What is my 'Father's house'?"  It doesn't necessarily have to be a place of moving out of my parents' home...it can be that place (or moment, or circumstance, or choice) where one moves on from what is holding them back in their ministry/purpose/dreams.