Before you begin, pause for a moment. Take several slow, deep breaths and allow yourself to grow still. Be aware of God's loving presence within you.

Luke 2:46-47

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.

Jesus was raised to be a faithful Jewish boy. In his culture, age 12 would have been his coming of age. And yet this young man, who in many ways was still a child, sat with some of the wisest men of his time, listening, asking questions, and being heard. How many of us have sat at the feet of our elders and benefited from their wisdom? How many of us have felt a strange stirring within and been amazed as understanding dawned in us? That is the gift of the Holy Spirit, living and breathing God's own wisdom in each of us.

Who is an elder in my life, a person whose wisdom has been a blessing to me?

When have I been amazed to finally understand something with my head and my heart?

(Pray to God, using this prayer or a prayer of your own.)

Loving God, I am grateful for those people who have shared their wisdom with me. May I, like the boy Jesus, continue to grow in age, wisdom, and grace.