Right time is now

If you've learned how to ride a bike, swim, make your own lunch or do math in your head, you might remember the first time someone said you could do it. You probably thought they were crazy! But you tried, and little by little you learned how to do it. Now, it seems like you've always known how.

Most people have talents like that hidden inside them that don't come out without other people encouraging them. Imagine this: In this week's Gospel (John 2:1-11), we find out that even Jesus had to be encouraged by His mother to do His first miracle!

Remember learning to swim? If you didn't want to learn, you probably tried to convince your parents that you weren't ready or couldn't do it. Jesus would understand that; maybe He was scared to death to do His first miracle! When Mary wanted Him to do something simple -- give people something to drink at a party -- Jesus even argued with her that it wasn't the right time.

If you gave in and took swimming lessons (or learned math or cooking), you know that worrying about something can be scarier than actually doing it. Jesus found that out, too: Turning water into wine was His first miracle, but it wasn't His last one. It helped Him decide to go out and start teaching people about God!