Originally published Friday, 07 November 2014.
I think a mother's life, certainly in the early years, would always include "interruptions" as part of a description of life. Conversations, reading a book, sitting down inevitably get interrupted by the baby waking, the child needing help, the child out of bed. Ironically as I sit to type this I've been interrupted - by children and text messages!
Don't mistake me though, an interruption is not necessarily a bad thing - except maybe when it is a child saying "I've vomited, it's everywhere"....An interruption is just that, a stopping, putting on hold whatever you were doing to address what it is that has interrupted you. Interruptions can be the door bell going, the phone ringing, at work the colleague stopping by your desk. The text message just now was an exciting one!
Interrupt means "break the continuity of", "Stop the continuous progress of." Interruptions can be big or small. It was a small interruption to answer the phone to a marketing company. The migraine I've been fighting this week has been a much larger one. In the early hours of this morning I lost the battle as it pounded my head. The interruption then meant missing church and succumbing to bed for the good part of the day.
Life is full of interruptions - big or small, unplanned and unforeseen.
There is another dimension though. That when God interrupts our lives - our plans, with a greater plan. A greater purpose.
It is when God prompts us to go out of our way to talk and share with a person. To stop what we are doing to help someone. We're God's hands on earth - He uses us to answer prayers and needs of others. To interrupt our lives and break into others lives with His power and presence.
When I've let God interrupt my plans, I've been amazed as to how powerfully He moves. How the conversation with a stranger engages the presence of God. How I feel like I'm touching Heaven.
There's bigger interruptions too. God interrupted my lovely life at one fantastic Church and sent me to another. Unplanned for - yes. Inconvenient - yes! Glad that I did - Yes! It was at this church that I met my husband!
Jesus was interrupted too. He was tired and sat down to rest by a well. A Samaritan Woman approached the well and a conversation ensued. Jesus plans then changed as she encountered the Messiah, and her whole town believed as well and went on to encourage Jesus to stay in Samaria. This interruption meant a whole town came to know the Lord and be saved! For the woman - her retrieving water was interrupted and she encountered God!
I have a different perspective on interruptions in my life now. I'm looking for that Samaritan Woman experience! When one interruption changes a person, changes a town!
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