Interruptions and Nuisances — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

You know what it’s like you’re talking to a friend and all of a sudden someone interrupts you. Now you might have done that yourself. Now while an occasional interruption while you’re talking can be annoying, it probably doesn’t really faze you in the grand scheme of things, but it can be an issue. Some people interrupt because they’re so excited, they just can’t wait. They’ve got to tell you before you finish doing what you’re doing. And sometimes you feel like hanging a sign around your neck, do not disturb, especially when the phone rings and you get an annoying recorded message.

Well, today, of course, we’re in the digital media age, and we get interrupted by messages all the time.

They’re inconvenient quite often, and one of the rules we learn as a child, or at least I did, is not to interrupt adults in conversation. But I want to take today a different view on this interesting topic.

Have you ever considered that some of those irritating interruptions could be clothed as unique opportunities to help somebody?

Just maybe God wants to invite us to see beyond ourselves, to enjoy the view from his perspective. When we see life’s interruptions as opportunities, our eyes are open to see God move in ways that we could never imagine. That can be quite exciting. Am I willing to be interrupted? Am I willing to be uncomfortable? The Christian faith encourages us to be available to God’s leading because He is a God of delightful surprises.

The trick is to be open and unselfish enough to receive his guidance, and when we see life’s interruptions as opportunities, I’m sure, I’m positive we can see God move in ways we’ve never expected.

Delays, diversions, distractions, interruptions – look, they don’t have to be viewed as thieves who take away, they can be seen differently, divinely ordered construction zones that God adds to your life.

Plus, some interruptions make life interesting, and who wants to live a, a boring, predictable life? What if everything was 100% predictable?

It was the talented writer CS Lewis who understood how to view interruptions. He said the great thing is, if you can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions. Of course, what one calls interruptions can be precisely part of your life, the life that God is sending you. One day at a time.

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Now if you accept that, each day can be an enriching experience. Lord, you could say, how are you going to interrupt my life today? I don’t know anyone who likes being interrupted, it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking or in the middle of doing something, we don’t like it, but interruption means having to stop what you’re doing. If we want to encounter God, we’d better be ready for the interruptions because the Bible says this in Proverbs chapter 16 verse 9.

In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

You see, God has a habit of interrupting. Just think of Jesus for a moment, when you read the gospel stories, you’ll notice that Jesus got interrupted all the time. Here’s one example from the story in Matthew 14. Jesus finds out about John the Baptist’s beheading. Terrible news, and Jesus is saddened by that. He wants to be alone, so what does he do? Gets in a boat, starts on a journey to get some relief and quiet time alone, but the rest was soon interrupted. A large crowd gets word of where he is, and the people make it to the other side, waiting for him. So you imagine Jesus as he nears the shore and catches a glimpse of thousands of people waiting to meet him. Now most of us would be pretty annoyed by that. We’d probably decide it’s best to send away the crowds or stay in the boat, but that’s not what Jesus did.

Matthew says he felt compassion for the people. He wasn’t annoyed, angry. His heart was full of love for the people who wanted to see him, and he reached out to them with compassion and understanding.

Do you notice that Jesus had time for people? He didn’t view them as interruptions in the way we do, but they were people who needed him. Many of us think interruptions get in the way of real life. That’s why we don’t like them. Now the traffic is heavier, you miss an appointment, or the unforeseen circumstances cause you to be late.

In the hundreds of interruptions of our lives, is it possible that they could really be of a divine purpose? Could God be actually saying something to us? Think about those potential interruptions that could change your plan, maybe from a neighbour who drops in, wants to talk to you, maybe someone you see at a shopping centre. Interruptions are. Not obstacles to our plan. They can be opportunities for us to embrace God’s plan.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, today we want to have a fresh perspective on the idea of interruptions. Maybe, Lord, it’s you trying to do and say something to us. Someone needs us today. Help us to view it in the correct way. Amen.

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