Introduction:

Growing up in India I learnt to navigate the chaos of life.  Life was full of interesting events most of which were not planned for!  Every day brought with it the unexpected, Surprises add to the texture of the tapestry of our lives.  I learnt to roll with the unexpected and to be flexible and adaptable. I learnt patience and learnt to to adjust to the ever-changing landscape of my existence. To do anything else would have stressed me out and I probably would have had a premature death. due to hyper tension, anxiety and fear. Life was interrupted constantly. There were disruptions in the power supply, the flow of water in the taps, shops and schools were closed due to a holiday celebrating some religious festival or a  “Bund or a Hartal” (Shut down due to a protest or a strike)

Migrating to the West: When I moved to the West I was introduced to order, regularity, dead lines, productivity and all the wonderful tools to measure success ! Growth and success are often measured by outcomes.  I was told about the virtues of being a finisher completer. The satisfaction one gained when one completed a task and savored the rewards. I now find that I tend to resent interruptions and in some ways seem to have lost something. I am aloof I find I protect my time and insulate myself from disruptions and interruptions. I lock myself in to water tight compartments and the thought does occasionally pop in my head. Am I depriving myself of God’s mysterious doors to blessing and growth?  How do you handle the interruptions that surface each day? I struggle and see them as a real nuisance. How do we deal with the unexpected? Interruptions always seem to surface at the most  inconvenient times! Do you get frustrated or even irritated like me?

Interruptions and the unexpected are a part of the messiness of life! It amazes me how God is often the greatest disrupter of our lives, just look at the lives of the heroes of the faith. The call of Abraham to leave his country and his people was a major disruption! Abraham obeyed the call of God, because this disruption necessitated an act of faith i.e. an obedient response. We have a choice in dealing with life’s interruptions, we could chose to ignore them, insulate ourselves with our plans, priorities and busy schedules or see them as an opportunity to see God and participate with Him in His work.

Jesus was constantly interrupted and he chose to stop and respond to the needs of others he heard the cries of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46 ff. In John 9:1-; Jesus responded to another Blind beggar by introducing the possibility of God’s presence and intervention. Jesus saw human need as a compelling context for God to get involved. To my surprise when I reflect on many of the significant disruptions in my life. I have discovered that these sudden interruptions have been important correctives to my personal agenda’s and have required a careful scrutiny of my priorities. This on many occasions have led to my reordering my priorities in the light of the work of the Holy Spirit that brings the new in the most unexpected ways. Jesus’ call to partner Him is often an invitation to go with him into the world of the dysfunctional where you encounter misfits, the peculiar and unusual. Expect to be surprised and be prepared for  the unexpected.

As a minister I have had to work with little or no money. There were too many presenting needs and very little obvious resources. I had to learn to trust God as He began weaving interruptions into the very  tapestry of my life. It was not easy! It required a lot of grace and  patience! It involved the “privileging of the other”. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians in chapter 2:5 ff. we are reminded that Jesus, though He was God was prepared to be inconvenienced by the incarnation. Jesus emptied himself and became a servant, in order to be a blessing to those who were lost and had different needs. As busy people we need to learn from Jesus, the grace of welcoming life’s interruptions. Jesus demonstrates what it means to live a life that is configured for the sake of others. It is a willingness to stop and listen, to care and serve those who have need of our time and our resources, even when it is most inconvenient.

When we learn to respond to differences, difficulties and endure the invasion of our space, privacy and our time we just might find that we become a part of god’s economy of being a blessing to some one in ways we might never be aware of. We just might hear the words of affirmation from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords when time comes to an end and all are judged on the day of the Lord “Well done good and faithful servant enter into the rest of the Lord. You ministered to me when you fed me, clothed me, visited me and took care of me by being present and available to me in my time of need.