From Justin: As a Child

How can we stay present, without fearing the future or longing for the past? We follow the example of our children!

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus said this when his disciples asked who the greatest was in the kingdom of heaven. I always loved this response but often wondered what parts of becoming like a child did Jesus mean? Having my own kids now I can't believe he meant in EVERY aspect to be childlike, although if He did I would be further along on my path to "arriving" than I am now! So what exactly did He mean?

I believe there are likely several things that Jesus meant by saying this and that you can correctly apply to your life but I am going to share one aspect I recently learned that I have been wrestling with a lot the last few years. I believe I heard Jordan Peterson talk about this so it's not my idea but I believe the narrative of the scriptures confirms this as truth. At least part of what Jesus meant to be childlike is to live in the moment. Kids are so good at doing this but often in a selfish way. They are quick to jump in to something that sounds fun without considering future consequences. A child will build a mud house on a table with out worrying about the fact that you might want to eat on the table later. While kids lack a lot of maturity in making good decisions their willingness to jump all in to something in the moment is something that God desires for us. Luke 12:35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning".

As we get older we tend to focus more on the future or the past and less on the present.

This can quickly get confusing because there seems to be aspects of considering the future and remembering the past that are biblical.

So what is wrong with focusing on the future? We can see the issue highlighted in the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The people were settling down and doing well and began to focus on the future and they said this to themselves in Genesis 11:4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” The issue is we tend to focus on making a name for ourselves when we look to the future. It is easy to dream of a day when "things are better" or long for the benefits of an easier season of life. We often resort to "it'll all be better in heaven" and that is certainly true but Jesus defines eternal life not by the length of time of some future life but by the quality of life beginning now (John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent). 

So then what about the past, shouldn't we remember the past so we don't repeat past mistakes? Considering that one fifth of the Torah (first five books of the old testament) is about remembering what God has done for Israel I'd say it is actually biblical to remember the past. The key words though are remember what God has done. The problem is when we live in the past and we focus on who we were.

Consider this. If God is outside of time then there is no such thing as past or future with him. There is only the present. My brain just fell apart. Jesus taught his disciples to pray by asking God for their daily bread. He also said not to worry about tomorrow. We can't really worry about the current moment because we are in it. We worry about the future whether it is 10 years or 10 minutes that we are concerned about and fixated on. If we can live in the moment that is the most Christlike we can be. Gratitude is a great way to stay in the moment.

The Lord is Lord over your future and he took the authority that your past had over you away so that you could be present in the moment with him and with others. If you struggle with anxiety then you are likely focusing too much on the future or the past and your missing the kingdom of heaven, which is at hand. Matthew 10:7 "As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near."

Prayer is another powerful way to stay in the present. We can converse with God anytime in a real time conversation like we do a friend. We can certainly ask for his blessing on our future and for forgiveness for our past but the act of praying is a very "in the moment" activity. The more I pray the more I think that praying is more for us than it is for God. The kingdom of heaven is happening and God is moving and prayer is our ticket to get on the train. It's happening now, it's happening today, it's happening in this very moment. Perhaps this is why communicating through technology feels like it's missing connection with the other person. You're transferring data but it lacks the real time "presentness" that true intimacy requires. It's like you need your mind, body and spirit to be all together in one place. Technology typically doesn't really allow all three in one place at the same time. We all know how connection lacks when talking to a loved one when their mind is clearly somewhere else. I can certainly relate to how intimacy can be impacted when your body stops participating in life and isn't present. Perhaps this is why God is three persons; father, son and holy spirit.

God is driving the train and he wants us all on it but if you're waiting for a better train (future focused) or riding another train (past focused) then you will be at the wrong gate and miss the call to be present and jump on board!