Biblical experiences can mirror our own

It was over 35 years ago next week that I was terrified we had lost Buffy. She was only five years old at the time and I still can remember the horror and hopelessness I felt when we lost her at Six Flags in Texas.

Charlie and I were sponsors for a church trip for about 80 teenagers and we took our three children along. On that day in June, Six Flags was already crowded. Then late that afternoon, admission rates were reduced so literally swarms of people came through the revolving gates.

When it came time for us to gather our group and leave, all the sponsors took a head count. I had held Buffy’s hand all during the afternoon, but while reading the checklist of students, I turned and she was gone. So Buffy and five teenage girls were missing. In a panic I looked all around for her. The others joined in and glanced over the crowd in every direction. The lines got longer and the crowds got denser and still no Buffy or the girls. We decided to spread out and look. Our group divided and went in separate directions to meet back in 30 minutes at the entrance.

At that point, I was getting exceedingly alarmed. Better words would be “near hysteria.” I could identify with what David said: “My heart is in anguish within me. Stark fear overpowers.” (Psalms 55:4) Thoughts raced through my mind: Had someone snatched her? The how could we rescue her with all the thousands milling around?

After about 45 minutes of searching, reporting her missing to the authorities and two trips to the church bus parked in the parking lot about a mile away, we found her. She was standing with a group of girls who had gone ahead. Buffy greeted us, “Hi Mom, Hi Dad!” She never realized that anything was amiss. The girls thought they were doing us a favor by taking her with them.

Another mother who once lost a child in a crowd was Mary, the mother of the Savior. The occasion was the Passover and families from every town and village assembled to walk to Jerusalem together. Parents visited as children played along the way.

They stayed in Jerusalem and when it was time to start home, Mary and Joseph with relatives and friends around them headed toward home. It is easy to understand how Mary and Joseph just assumed that Jesus was in the crowd with the other children playing along the way. After all, they had seen him as they left. Yet night came and Jesus was not anywhere to be found.

So Mary and Joseph made the long walk back to Jerusalem. They found Jesus three days later in the temple in deep discussions with the leaders about the things of God. The Bible says that the men were amazed at the insight and spiritual perspective of the boy Jesus. But what about Mary when she found him? She reacted as any mother would. She said: “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2: 38)

So any of us who are mothers can identify with Mary. We can identify because we know how Mary must have felt that day.

The exceptional feature about the Bible is that it reveals the emotions, shortfalls and frustrations of its characters. The Bible gives an honest assessment of the personalities in its pages. Just because Mary was the mother of the Savior did not mean that she did not experience at times fear, frustration, anxiety and disappointment.

Paul wrote: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”(Romans 15:4)

In the Bible, we can read about all its characters and walk with them in their disappointments, trials and sorrows. It is all there for us to read. Nothing is kept back and therefore we can identify with those in the Bible who are lost, who are betrayed, hurt, maligned, frightened or frustrated. The good news is that by reading their stories, we can connect and find hope for the days we face.

Judy Brandon is a Clovis resident. Contact her at:

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