Did you know that I MUST be in my Father's house?

Having a child who you cannot find is not a good feeling.  Most parents have had the momentary terror and remember it quite well.  I have great sympathy for Joseph and Mary in this story.  We have so little information about Jesus' childhood and growth.  But, this story is key:  Jesus *must* spend time in the synagogue as a prelude to the conclusion of the story:  he increased in divine and human favor.

It seems these days it is hard to get people to spend any time in church.  Yes, many are devoted and regularly present.  But, when asked to step outside of our normal bounds, the response is usually less than enthusiastic.  The *must* that Jesus submitted to expressed more than an obligation; it showed the ordering of his priorities and his increasing awareness of identity.  Do we have any *musts* in regard to our own honoring of God's desires for our life?  One *must* for me is gratitude and kindness.  Even when I am disappointed, irritable, short on patience, as a leader in the church it is not an option to treat others as less than.  If we cannot embody God's love then we are nothing more than a clanging gong.

                               

When I consider the *musts* in my life, it seems to call up the dichotomy between my wants and needs.  That is a hard-learned lesson of maturity: what I want is not always what I need.  When I think of the must-haves in my life they are truly basic: food, rest, connection to God.  When I think of my wants, well, the list gets longer all of a sudden.  Do I allow my wants to dictate my life?

                           

Our devotion asks where I feel the most complete and fulfilled.  Easy answer: in nature, under the sky, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin and the cool earth beneath my feet.  I seek to balance my *musts* with my *wants* in finding God and honoring God's community.  I suspect true balance leads to wisdom along with divine and human favor.