❓What was Jesus doing the first 29 years of his life?

⏳ Jesus’s time before he started his ministry was not wasted.

✨ If he fulfilled the whole of the law, even 15-year-old table-making Jesus matters.

🌟 While we often focus on His miracles and teaching, Jesus actually spent more years not doing ministry than doing it.

🪚 Think about it — Jesus was a carpenter’s son. He learned the trade from Joseph, making tables and furniture for specific people in His community.

👥 He lived an ordinary life, fulfilled regular responsibilities, and worked with His hands. He was someone’s carpenter before He was known as their Messiah.

🌱 You might feel like your life will “finally start” when you reach some future milestone — getting married, landing that dream job, or making a big difference in the world.

💫 But consider this: if Jesus’ time as a teenager and young adult wasn’t wasted, neither is yours.

👨‍👦 Jesus lived the vocations given to Him — worker, son, friend, citizen.

📚 He grew in wisdom, which means He had to learn and improve at His craft. He probably even made some wobbly tables while learning carpentry!

✨ This means those “boring” Tuesdays when you’re just trying to get through your chores? They’re redeemed.

🌟 The seasons when you feel overlooked or ordinary? They matter.

❤️ Loving and serving the specific people God has placed in your life today is meaningful work.

🌍 (And by the way, it’s not your job to change or save the world . . . Jesus already did that!)

🎓 Whether you’re a student struggling through trigonometry, a parent changing diapers in the middle of the night, or a worker making spreadsheets, your current role has value.

💝 Your worth isn’t measured by how many people know your name or how big your impact seems — it’s found in faithfully living out your current vocations, serving your specific neighbors in love.

✝️ Christ’s death redeems our imperfect efforts in any calling and at any age.

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

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