About the Father’s Business

And He said to them, “Why did you seek me?  Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” – Luke 2:49

How intentional are you with your children or grandchildren’s education?  Are you engaging your children in their callings?  How old must they be before they start preparing for their callings?

In his bestselling book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell tells us that outliers are not outliers at all, but individuals who had years of preparation in a given area of expertise and given the opportunity to demonstrate their gifting.  Malcolm defines an “outlier” as something that is situated away from or a class different from a main or related body, and/or a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from others of the sample.  What we learn from Malcom Gladwell’s book is that successful people are not successful due to their genius or their exceptional talent, but instead are successful due to a combination of preparation and opportunities created by their environment and the people in their lives.

In Luke 2:41-52 we see Jesus at 12 years old.  He was left by His parents during the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem.  When His parents returned to look for Him, they found Him in the temple with teachers, both listening and asking questions.  The Bible states that those who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.  When His parents finally met up with Him they were amazed and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you done this to us?  Look, your father and I have sought you anxiously” Luke 2:48.  Jesus responded by saying, “Why did you seek Me?  Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”  Luke 2:49

What did Jesus mean when He said He must be about His Father’s business?  He meant that He already understood His assignment and therefore His parents should not have been surprised to find him in the places and with the people would prepare Him to carry out that assignment.  At 12 years old, Jesus was engaged in learning, sharing and was focused on the things that were important to His Heavenly father.  He began His public ministry at 30 years old, went to the cross three years later, and then was resurrected to return to His Heavenly Father.  Therefore, He had 18 years of preparation for three years of public service.

Unfortunately, many parents send their children to expensive colleges without a clue of what God has called them to do.  Those children focus their learning on careers that may earn them money and prestige, but probably will not fulfill their callings.  As a result, many young people live unfulfilled lives, focused on what they can earn rather than the impact they can make for eternity.

As a Biblical Entrepreneur, not only should you be intentional about ensuring that your children identify their callings as early as possible, but you should also create opportunities for them to prepare and put their gifts to use as early and as often as possible, giving them a chance to become like Jesus, the Ultimate Outlier.

Jobs are becoming more and more unsure and all of us, even those who work for others, must be entrepreneurial if we are going to be effective in the fulfillment of our callings.  It is critical to engage your children or grandchildren in the family business and in entrepreneurship education opportunities at an early age.  That way, they will grow up understanding the value of using their creativity to create goods and services to serve people in a sustainable way, whether through a for-profit or not for-profit enterprise. Remember, Jesus worked with His father throughout His life and when he began His public ministry He was self employed.  Next to salvation and the concept of eternity, the greatest gift you can give your child is the value of entrepreneurship, biblical, of course.

How old are your children or grandchildren?  How are you ensuring that they are about their father’s business?  Consider creative ways to discuss with your children the idea of a calling and then create opportunities to begin preparing them to fulfill theirs.