Jesus turns our world’s ways on their head. For those of us with nothing to boast in, it is wonderful news. But for those who have spent our lives scrambling to be near the front of the queue, it is a sharp rebuke and challenge. The question Jesus presses upon me is, ‘Have I come like a child, empty handed, laying aside everything that gives me status?’ And if I have, does that continue to be the way I live in the kingdom, resolutely refusing to play the status game?

One of the enduring images of Jesus in the minds of many is of Jesus surrounded by children, some sitting on his knees with his arms around them. It may raise eyebrows in our ‘safe space’ world, but it captures an attractive aspect of the Jesus we meet in the Gospels. But if Jesus’ disciples had had their way, it would not have happened.
The incident is reported Mark 10:13–16. People are bringing young children to Jesus. The parents (I presume) recognise that Jesus is much more than another travelling preacher. They think his touch and blessing carry weight. But the disciples attempt to stop it. I have some sympathy for the disciples. They finally recognised that Jesus is important. He is the Messiah (Mk 8:29), the long-promised king God was going to send to crush their enemies and bring all the benefits of his victory and rule. He has arrived: the most important person in the world! And they are the inner circle. So they take it upon themselves to shape his itinerary.
Imagine that Jesus was going to be in your town or city for a weekend, and you were in charge of his itinerary. Who would make the cut? The Prime Minister? The business tycoons? The bishops and moderators? The University professors? They would be on my list. Would you include children? Certainly not! Grubby, noisy, unpredictable kids—keep them away from Jesus. They are not important, they are not the influencers, it would not be a good use of Jesus’ time and attention.
The disciples think Jesus will be pleased with their discernment. But Jesus is furious with them.
We Can Be So Wrong
They got Jesus and his kingdom totally wrong. The kingdom he is bringing belongs to people like these children. Jesus is more than willing to give his time and attention to children. Don’t stop them. Don’t even hinder them.
In our sentimentality, it would be easy to stop here. Let’s value the children in our families, in our communities, and in our churches. Grubby they may be, but they are precious and they are the future. Give me a child and I will shape the adult. But Jesus has something sharper and more significant to say to us adults: ‘Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it’ (verse 15). These are strong words. They encompass everyone regardless of race or sex or age or education or religion. They encompass all time (‘never enter’), and so speak about every person’s eternal destiny in the kingdom of God.
Becoming Like a Child
What does Jesus mean by, ‘receive the kingdom of God like a child’? What aspect of childlikeness does Jesus have in mind? There have been many suggestions.
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The Family Research Council concluded that over 400 “acts of hostility” have been committed against churches in the last five years including “vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more.” The headline is not that there are suddenly those who disagree with Christian conviction or similar beliefs. That has always been the case. However, the old-school atheists and secular humanists of yesterday were content enough to let Christians have their say, if for no other reason than to ridicule and deride. To think of something as “outdated,” or “silly,” or “non-scientific” is one thing. To think of it and the one who advances it as “evil,” “oppressive,” and “fascist” is something else.

In response to a Breakpoint commentary about the murders in Nashville in March, the Colson Center was identified by a critic as being “proudly, if quietly, Dominionist.” To be clear, we aren’t, but he was particularly troubled by how the commentary described Christians as victims which, of course, they were. 
In that commentary, we wondered aloud whether in fact we have entered a new cultural moment, characterized by an increased hostility toward Christians and others who are, shall we say, culturally non-conforming. The strange and shameful reversal of who is victim and who is guilty in the reporting on the Nashville incident has only continued since, and now there are additional incidents to consider as well. 
On March 29, while speaking on abortion at Virginia Commonwealth University, Kristan Hawkins and a group from Students for Life were confronted, threatened, and assaulted by an obscenity-crying crowd who failed to notice the irony of suppressing free speech by screaming “fascists!” Rather than remove those disrupting the presentation, the campus police removed the pro-lifers. 
Two days later, on March 31, authorities in Colorado arrested 19-year-old William Whitworth for two counts of attempted murder, in addition to other charges. Whitworth, who goes by the name Lily and was in the process of “transitioning,” was planning a series of bomb and gun attacks on several sites in Colorado Springs, including schools and churches. As with the Nashville shooter who identified as transgender, police have not revealed the “manifesto” that would reveal Whitworth’s specific motives. However, there is ample evidence that rhetoric about the so-called “trans genocide” is leading advocates to increasingly violent means to make their point.  
Then, on April 6, college swimmer Riley Gaines was physically assaulted while giving a speech at San Francisco State University. As she argued against the inclusion of men in women’s sports, she was berated, threatened, and blockaded in a room until she paid a ransom.
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In the book, Comer claims “the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.” I’ve also heard it said “you become what you behold.” So, what are you giving your attention to? After providing some history of how our world came to this constant state of hurry, Comer offers four practices to help us slow down and refocus our attention on Christ. 

Her phone dings. There is a Slack notification and messages from her daughter demanding to be picked up earlier than planned. She pours some coffee then notices an email from her boss. It looks like he scheduled a last minute meeting to discuss “important developments” in her department. The meeting is in an hour. She checks the time.
Her phone rings. It’s her husband. He sounds distraught. A knock on the office door interrupts her conversation. “Joey just quit,” says the voice on the other side. “What do you want us to do?”
“I’ll be right there,” she replies. “Honey, let me call you right back,” she tells her husband. Her body tries to catch her mind as she hurries to the door.
Her phone dings.
I think we all can relate to this lady. Life is moving at incredible speeds and we don’t know how to push the breaks. We’re not sure where the off ramp is or that one even exists.
The truth is, busyness and hurry has infected our lives like a plague. Not only can it cause physical and mental illness, it can also cause real damage to our spiritual lives.
Dallas Willard called hurry the great enemy of the spiritual life. It makes sense. The busier we become, the more likely we are to miss the reality of God. Our schedules, to-do lists, demands, emails, meetings, and notification after notification can easily derail our intimacy with the Lord.
In his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer provides some tools to help God’s people slow down. Similar to Willard, he believes hurry is an epidemic distracting us from God and making us sick.
In the book, Comer claims “the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.” I’ve also heard it said “you become what you behold.” So, what are you giving your attention to?
After providing some history of how our world came to this constant state of hurry, Comer offers four practices to help us slow down and refocus our attention on Christ. The practices or rhythms are not new.
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