Are You Willing to be Interrupted?

Patricia Croll

I like my schedule; when I make a list in the morning, it brings me comfort to pencil the small square boxes next to my ideas about how my day might unfold. Yes, I still use paper and pencil; perhaps I am revealing my age? I used to use a pen. It seemed more permanent, more in control, but then I had to purchase white-out. It is not as if having an agenda for the day somehow diminishes God’s ability to interrupt my plan, but for sure my agenda can influence how my heart responds to His interruptions, even diminishing my ability to hear His voice calling me forth. Maybe you are thinking, whew, I am off the hook because I don’t like a to do list and I love the wide open fields of possibility? Let me reassure you that both a schedule and a non-schedule can diminish our ability to hear His voice; why you might ask? Because both are rooted in self-determination. We certainly live in a culture that values time efficiency; are we willing to be interrupted by Gospel opportunities?

When interruption happens, what is your primary emotion? Sometimes frustration is the first emotion that I feel; for me, this is rooted in pride that has grown into the “this is my time” weed. I remember distinctly the frustration of being a mom with little ones and experiencing interruptions of every sort about a million times a day, so that by the end of the day, I felt fragmented from all the incomplete thoughts and actions. Motherhood (and fatherhood) attack time efficiency relentlessly. Also, frustration arose because I had an idea about how the day would unfold and I liked my idea. Rarely, if ever, does our day unfold as we planned and let’s be real, when it does unfold as we planned, we often label it a “good day” when in reality we have self-determined and likely not cried out to God a single time. How do we cultivate a heart ready for Gospel interruptions? Here are three thoughts.

First, settle in our minds and hearts this truth: the Gospel is of first importance.

What is vying for first importance in your life? Promotion? Weight loss? A magazine perfect home? Successful children? Comfort? The to do list? Our thoughts determine our affections and our affections determine our choices. And so, I urge you to remind yourself daily that the Gospel is of first importance for you. Because here is the bottom line: If we don’t believe that the Gospel is of first importance for ourselves, then we will not live as if this is true for others.

Second, die to self.

Let’s prayerfully set aside our agendas. Recently, this looks like spiritual habit stacking for me. About a month ago, I was with some ladies and we were talking about habit formation. One gal shared that in the business world, habit stacking is when you stack a new habit on top of an old habit in order to establish another habit. I was immediately intrigued. We had a conversation about spiritual habit stacking and so for the last month, I have been releasing my agenda for the day, penciled box by penciled box, to the Lord while I am making my bed which is a habit long established. With every tug of the sheets, folding of a blanket, fluffing of a pillow, I pray for each person or event and then release, readying my heart for interruptions that will inevitably happen, which opens my eyes to actually look for Gospel interruptions. This is incredibly helpful because my heart releases from my expectations and attaches to God’s intentions.

Finally, be willing.

Jesus was not interrupted, but He certainly is the Interrupter. It is not as if the Samaritan woman interrupted Jesus’ midday rest; Jesus chose that specific well, chose that specific time in order to interrupt this specific woman’s life for eternity purposes. It is not as if Mary, the mother of Jesus, interrupted Jesus at the wedding; Jesus, although prompted by his mother, knew already that He would interrupt the despair of running out of wine with the last and best wine. It is not as if the blind man, the leper, the lame man, or the dead girl interrupted Jesus; it is that Jesus monumentally interrupted them with life because life originates with Him. When Jesus interrupts our lives, He has an eternal purpose. Sometimes we are the ambassador, the conduit, the fragrance of His divine interruptions in the lives of others, but perhaps we need to settle our hearts, die to ourselves, and be willing. When we cultivate a heart ready for interruptions, we rename and welcome interruptions as Gospel opportunities.