You’re young. And what does the world expect of a young person? Not much. It expects you to act foolishly, waste time and wrap yourself up in selfish, trivial things. Most young people are meeting those low expectations. And many young people never really grow up! They act like children their whole lives.

God offers you a different path. He knows you’re capable of far more! He has big plans and exciting opportunities waiting in your future!

To help you aim higher, God recorded examples of young people who did great things: Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Daniel … and the list goes on. The greatest young person ever was Jesus Christ. And the Bible records snippets about His youth that reveal a great example you can follow.

Here is a brief but potent description of Jesus as a preteen: “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). The Living Bible reads, “[T]he child became a strong, robust lad, and was known for wisdom beyond his years; and God poured out his blessings on him.”

Jesus grew physically just like other children. But He also grew “strong in spirit, filled with wisdom.” He built a strong relationship with God from His earliest days. So He matured and deepened His relationship further, which helped Him mature even more. It also opened up a lot of amazing blessings from God.

When Jesus was 12, His family kept the Passover in Jerusalem, then left for home. After a few days, they realized that Jesus wasn’t with them!

What would you do if your family visited a city—and accidentally left you behind?

Jesus’s parents returned to find Him (verses 46-47). And where was He? They found Him in the temple, having in-depth conversations with the Jewish religious teachers!

Compare yourself to this 12-year-old! Jesus set the example for all of us—even you—“that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Jesus’s parents told Him that He had caused them a lot of grief. In verse 49, He responded: “How is it that ye sought me? [Knew] ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”

Imagine a man who owned a business. What joy it would give him to have his son grow up to follow in his footsteps, so the two could work together and the business and the family would be stronger and more stable. Here Jesus showed that, even as a youth, His mind was fixed on the family business. He loved His Father and wanted to follow Him and serve Him all He could.

How can you follow this pattern in your life? Think about it. Doing so will bring opportunities and blessings you can’t imagine.

Look what it did for Jesus. Luke summarizes the passage about His youth with this awesome statement: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (verse 52).

Stop for a few seconds and just think about that sentence. Write it out. Stick a Post-It on your wall. Memorize it. Set it as a goal.

Follow Jesus’s example: Strive to increase in wisdom. Seek that wisdom from God by learning to dig into His Word (Proverbs 1:1-6). Concentrate on the messages you hear in services. Hear what your parents say. Ask God to give you more wisdom (James 1:5). And above all, apply what you receive: do it!

Follow Jesus’s example: Strive to increase in stature. That can refer to height and weight, and Jesus certainly grew that way as He used His muscles in skilled hard labor as a carpenter (e.g. Proverbs 20:29). But it also means maturity—mental fitness for adulthood. This comes from embracing tasks and duties like challenges on the job site, rather than shying away from them.

Follow Jesus’s example: Strive to increase in favor with God. This comes from talking to God and listening to God. It comes from building your relationship with your Father each day. It comes from learning God’s will and doing it. As you do so, you will increasingly become “a son in whom He is well pleased.” God will open doors and opportunities for you.

Follow Jesus’s example: Strive to increase in favor with man. Living God’s way of life will make you a stand-out young person in this world (e.g. Matthew 5:13-16). You will gain a reputation for being honest, sincere, hardworking, responsible and reliable—a person of good character. People can’t help but recognize that—just as they did with Jesus. Your peers will come to respect and trust you. Your parents, teachers, professors, employers and leaders will take note of you.

Jesus Christ set an example for you specifically as a youth! Don’t settle for meeting society’s low expectations of you. Don’t follow the path of young people in the world. Be like Jesus Christ, and use your youth to the max!