Interrupted

I’m sure each one of us can think of a time when life didn’t go the way we had plan. When life was “interrupted.” Hello, I feel everyone could say that right now!

Recently I was able to share my story with a group of women (shout out to my friends in Caledonia, Michigan!). They had been studying Jonah and how God interrupted his life, which he often found inconvenient, but in typical God fashion, He designed it for good. As I was pondering the more recent events in life, I couldn’t help but go back to this idea of interruptions.

While trying to find my own words to describe what an interruption was, I kept falling short. So I went to the ole trusty Merriam-Webster dictionary and of course, their definition was concise and spot on (who knew?):

Interrupted – a break in uniformity and continuity; to stop or hinder.

Do you find yourself saying “amen”? I know my hands are raised high with a preach-it attitude behind it! A break in uniformity or routine. I find that anytime I try and get comfortable in life, God throws a wrench in it. An interruption. And let’s be honest, it’s not part of MY plan.

I know this time for you is maybe not what you signed up for in life. It may be stressful. Uncertain. Makes you want to pull your hair out. Or lock yourself in a room away from the kids. You dream of everything going back to normal.

I’ve joined that chorus too. There have been numerous times while lying in a hospital bed, away from family, away from everything familiar, with cranky ole lady as a roomie, with no view into the outside world, wishing “this” wasn’t how life was supposed to be. Interruptions always seem to happen at the most inconvenient times, right?

So what are we supposed to do…

When we are stopped dead in our tracks and something happens we didn’t plan for? How do we fully embrace who we are in Christ and fully embrace the story God has given us, amidst the interruptions? It’s easy to think that God is interrupting a beautiful and perfect story and he just “had” to step in. But…

God has a purpose in everything he allows.

Really. Do you REALLY believe that? If you do, look out, there will be a peace and freedom flowing your way, if you truly take this promise and truth to heart. It allows us to release the control we have on our lives, lifts the burden, worry, and stress off of us, and throws it up into the sky as the wind takes it away. Think of a stress you have in life – envision for a minute, yourself doing that. God has a purpose in everything he allows. In every break of uniformity.

God has allowed certain circumstances to shape who we are.

What circumstances – good or bad – has God used to shape you? You may never understand WHY God allowed what he did. Why he is bringing you through the valley. But rest assured, he has a good purpose in it and it’s often to shape us into who we are today. Do you wish to ever go through it again? Probs not. But I have to admit, some of my most difficult times in life, life’s biggest interruptions, though I’d never wish to experience again, I’ve been thankful for. Thankful for the journey and what those situations have taught me about God.

Abide in him.

Interruptions cause us to take a step back, confused, frustrated, and ready to get the normal show on the road. But interruptions often do another key thing – draw us closer to him. I often say that in life, difficult situations really bring out the true side of someone – good or bad. I’ll admit, I’ve seen some of my hard times bring out the worst in me. Looking back though, I can see those times as monumental moments in my faith. Calls to abide in him. Not a single person’s life isn’t affected by the coronavirus right now. “Shelter in place” has affected every person in Michigan. No one is exempt. You may wonder how do I abide in him when life is interrupted and completely chaotic? But that is where true peace is found. Maybe you have to just step outside for 3 hot seconds, take a deep breath, and remember who is in control. Then step back into the chaos. Maybe just go for a drive and if you get pulled over with the police wondering where you are going, tell them you are having some you and God time. Remember verses you have on repeat in your head. Or maybe just simple words that are true to God’s character. Like peace. Sovereign. Alpha and Omega. Shepherd. I get it, sometimes your mind can’t handle one more thing. Make it simple.

Interruptions. We can all list hundreds of ways our lives have been interrupted. When life hasn’t gone the way we had planned. Let us rest assured that it isn’t US who has to figure out the whys. The verses below may cause some anxiety for those who want to hang onto that control, but when we can truly live life with these mottos, there is a peace that surpasses all understanding:

Isaiah 55:8 says – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

Deuteronomy 29:29 says – The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Our lives have been interrupted. How will we respond?