Christian Interrupted

Yesterday didn’t go as planned.

When the mowers entered the back yard, my dog Maggie ran into the bedroom and bounded onto my chair to get a better view, knocking my coffee onto my laptop. No immediate problem, but in time there were certain letters that refused to work, and others ejected me from the document entirely. My work on my book was quite interrupted and basically, gone. Thankfully, the book is fine; I just can’t edit it.

I usually accept the big interruptions of life better than the small ones. However, aren’t they the same in reality?

God is sovereign over both types of circumstances, and He does have a plan for breaking into my day. (He didn’t cause my dog to act crazy, but He has purpose in all things.)

When such things occur, I need to consider how God’s plans may differ from mine. He is more concerned about my character than my task. What is He revealing about my priorities and attachment to my plans? Is there something more important, not simply urgent, that I should do? Perhaps, the inconvenience has given me time for God. Maybe He is reminding me of how unimportant my plans are in the larger scheme of things. My overreaction to small interruptions should be an alarm asking me if I am holding on too tightly to something that belongs to God. The book isn’t mine but His; maybe He wants me to slow down in completing it.

There are small interruptions, like mine, which can be fixed with a bit of trouble—a fussy baby, a broken appliance, an unwanted work project. However, we also encounter large interruptions which change the course of our lives: sickness, divorce, financial failure, layoffs, and on and on. I wonder if both types of interruptions should be handled with the same faith and anticipation that God is doing something.

I hope to have a different perspective next time my plans are changed. I want interruptions to drive me to God.

What is your response to life’s interruptions?