Interruptions

Daily Gratitude Year 7 - Day 87:Today, I can choose to be grateful for interruptions.

Most of the time, our first response to interruptions is irritation. It is a knee-jerk response to anything that causes us to abort our plan or our timeline. 

I am fairly sure, this instinct within us does battle with our commission to make disciples. The call of Jesus on our lives almost always requires interruption. 

This echoes many of my favorite Biblical examples. Noah, Moses, Jonah, Daniel, Joseph, Rahab, Ruth, Paul, Silas, Mary, Gideon and more. Each one allowed the their lives to be interrupted by God's plan and embraced it. Talk about plot twists! 

Another Joseph... the Carpenter... melts my heart with his acceptance of the son he did not conceive, the wife he waited to touch until after childbirth and the interruption of training a child in carpentry when he likely knew the boy would never take over the family business. He still invested the time, the love and taught him the trade.

"We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This quote brings new light to the passage from Luke where Jesus is trying to explain the cost of truly being one of his disciples. Yeshua... I adore his Hebrew name... drew people to him with his gently spirit, his wisdom, his justice and his love. 

When he was popular, everyone want to be with him. When he was rejected, they abandoned him. He wanted to be sure that they understood the call, the commission and the conflict it might bring to their lives. Let's look at Luke 9:

"He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-62

I do not believe Jesus is calling them to be irresponsible toward their homes and family obligations. He wants them to clearly understand there will be times of internal emotional conflict and sacrifice for the sake of the call. 

Following Jesus requires being open to interruptions. We can't look back on the "what if's" or the "if onlys". We must trust him for our daily bread and allow Him to be our "enough" for this day. 

Today, I can choose to be grateful for interruptions.