Create An Interruptible Life
Have you ever been laser-focused on short-term goals, only to be met with one INTERRUPTION after another?! That's where I found myself.
Interruptions serve to make us stop what we are doing and adjust our "steps." While frustrating, God is in the interruptions. If we expect to have an encounter with God, we need to go into these "interruptions" with open eyes and heart. The word "interruption" sounds negative. Rest assured, there are instances when God interrupts Satan from interfering in our lives, and "interrupts" our journey to keep us from walking the wrong path.
In Scripture, we can see the life of Jesus full of interruptions. He willingly created an interruptible life. Crowds constantly followed and interrupted Him in His daily ministries. In Matthew 8, Jesus was interrupted by a leper who asked for healing. Jesus healed him. He was interrupted by a centurion asking Christ to heal his servant. The servant was healed. He merely wanted a quiet place to pray ... the crowds followed Him and he served them. Jesus displayed his servant heart and God's plan by ministering to the "interrupters."
In March, God interrupted our community (and my singular focus and goal) with a tornado that took several lives. Our faith family jumped into action in response. God called me to stop what I was doing and serve. I joined with our church family in feeding and loving on devastated families and disaster recovery personnel in our community. Volunteers from the area also showed up to assist at the church. I had the opportunity to invite one of those volunteers to church and talk about Jesus several times during the week. She said she would "try" church, but her husband would never attend church.
In the midst of this "interruption," God used a tornado for His glory. The volunteer I invited to church began attending regularly and accepted Christ as her savior. She was baptized and I look forward to seeing her joyful heart every Sunday. After much prayer for her husband, he began regularly attending church and feels called to be there (stay tuned). And (plot twist!), last Sunday, her teenage son accepted Christ following the service.
You think God is not present in the interruptions? It's His invitation to you to stop and look at what He's doing in the lives of others and to realize He's at work all around you. If you want to serve and be used wholeheartedly by God, you have to be interruptible and say, "Yes, Lord."
I still have very focused short-term goals, but I'm building in expectations for His interruptions. I invite you to do the same. In the interruption, I've been able to volunteer, plant an orchard, write a book, host a podcast, work in my church, make time for friends and family ... I don't want to miss God and His amazing work and neither should you!
Just when you think you don't have time to help someone or serve in a ministry, you might find yourself interrupted and right where God wants you to be. Trust He will use the interruptions in your life for your good and His glory. I challenge you to check out all of the times God interrupted His children as an invitation to see Him at work. Find them in God's Word! I think you'll be surprised.