“Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.”
~Luke 3:23
Christmas is upon us. Hopefully you are finding time to slow down, drink a cup of coffee or Earl Grey tea, and reflect. Don’t let the season pass you by. How sad is it when you find yourself thinking (or hear someone else saying): “I am just ready for this to be over.” Don’t live like this. Carve out a few slow and quiet slices of time that you can sit still and reflect upon the birth of Jesus Christ (or a nice walk in nature).
While working on other things this morning, I was reminded of the fact that Jesus did not begin his ministry until age 30. How could this be? He is the Son of God. I mean, he had some really important stuff to accomplish. Yet, he was born in typical fashion, blood and all, and then lived as a son, brother, and carpenter until the age of 30 (he obviously did not cease to be a son or brother when his ministry began). God himself, the only Redeemer, the one hope for humanity, was surrounded by sawdust and wood for the majority of his life. From my perspective, this work was very unimportant in comparison with what he came to do (Matthew 1:21). Yet, he was in no hurry. He lived a quiet, humble life, and waited on the Father’s release.
He didn’t strive to be important.
He didn’t stive to be seen.
He didn’t strive to accomplish something significant.
He didn’t strive to people’s approval.
He didn’t strive to make ministry happen (woe to us in our social media age).
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was very content working with wood. In light of his human nature, this surely was one of the places where he learned patience. In light of his divine nature, this surely was one of the places that his patience was manifested.
The point in all of this is that we can be at peace being “unimportant.” Maybe you feel like your life is buried away in some small shed, working with something that seems unimportant like wood. But it is important. You can do anything with a heart turned to God (Colossians 3:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:31). You can do anything with a heart to please the Lord. You can do anything with an attitude of worship. You can take the mundane stuff and use it to serve others.
What I am trying to say is this: Because Jesus Christ spent the majority of his life hidden, we can be at peace with God, ourselves, and others when it seems that the current season of life we are in is not as significant as we feel it should be.
If you want to feel important, look at Jesus.
If you need peace, look to Jesus.
May the “Wonderful Counselor,” “Might God,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) give you peace in your heart and communicate a sense of great value and importance to your soul.
Merry Christmas.
BJ Condrey, Ph.D. 