Believing that life interruptions – divine interruptions – are a privilege not only causes us to handle them differently but to await them eagerly. – Priscilla Shirer

I’m growing in this area, yet to be honest, too often I find interruptions can annoy me, especially if I’m working on a big project like Sunday’s sermon. To avoid interruptions, I attempt to cloister myself away on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to help me focus and prepare for the upcoming message.  

How do you do with interruptions? 

Some of the most common interruptions are phone calls or texts. With a phone call, you can let it go to voice mail. To my knowledge there’s not an app to do that with texts (someone could be rich if they invented one). My phone is usually on silent so I don’t hear chirps or rings from calls, texts or emails, but there are always those drop-ins you weren’t expecting. For a parent with young children, the interruptions can seem endless. Then, many are quick to say, “yes” (guilty as charged) and have interruptions from overcommitments keeping us from commitments that should be our priorities.

Interruptions can be a source of frustration. Whether traffic, a long line at a store, or an unexpected road closure, the various ways we find our day divided by distractions can create a wide variety of problems…and if we let them, become sources of irritation. 

My brother in-law, Fred Froman, is a pastor in Michigan. Recently, I was bemoaning that I had a meeting that I had to attend to attempt to problem-solve a situation. I didn’t think there would be a positive outcome and felt it was a waste of my time. Fred is a great friend. He graciously and gently rebuked me that those type of interruptions are the ministry. He’s right! 

For Christ-followers, often what appear to be interruptions are divine appointments. It might be running into a friend in a store who is going through deep waters. Taking a few minutes to be an encouragement can make a big difference. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve prayed with someone in a store aisle. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely wrote: We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans…sending us people with claims and petitions…It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service in this, but actually they are disdaining God’s ‘crooked yet straight path’.

While most of us tend to view interruptions as irritating, that wasn’t Jesus. Look at His life in the gospels and you’ll find many interruptions. In those four biographies of Jesus’ life there were something like 40 interruptions! Interruptions were Jesus’ life. 

Our Lord models for us that not all interruptions are bad. Many are divinely ordered. As we walk through this world, we’ll have interruptions! What will you do about it? What did Jesus do about it?

The grid through which Jesus viewed interruptions was compassion. Our Savior kindly handled interruptions and we must learn from His example. Jesus always responded with grace and never communicating that people were a bother and shouldn’t interrupt Him. People were His priority. Interruptions never deterred Him from doing His Father’s will. 

What can we learn from the interruptions that filled Jesus’ life?

Interruptions are nothing new. Jesus dealt with His share of people and problems that sought to slow down His efforts or divide His attention.

In Luke 8:40, a ruler in the synagogue named Jairus bowed before Jesus, asking Him to heal his sick daughter. As Jesus walked with Jairus to his home, they were surrounded by crowds that slowed their progress. In the midst of all this, a woman with a bleeding problem touched Jesus’ robe to receive healing. Interruption after interruption. How did Jesus respond? His attitude offers four insights for our hurried anti-interruption lives:

Jesus always had time for those who were hurting.Jesus knew about the woman who had touched Him to be healed. If He was really in a hurry, He could have simply kept going. Instead, He stopped to recognize her. He asked, “Who touched Me?” (Luke 8:45), offering an opportunity to personally connect with the woman He had healed.

Jesus cared for people regardless of their status. In the same account, Jesus showed compassion to both Jairus and the woman in need of healing. The daughter of Jairus was near death at only 12 years of age; the woman had been in pain for 12 years. Jairus was well-known in the community; the woman is not wealthy or noteworthy. In both cases, Jesus saw the person, not their status, showing care for all in need.

Jesus positively impacted the lives of those around Him. In our hurried lives, we often miss opportunities to help those in need. Yet Jesus blessed the woman He’d healed with words of encouragement. He then challenged the faith of Jairus, telling him to believe and his daughter would be healed. 

We sometimes wrongly believe that those who appear successful in this world don’t need our encouragement. However, beyond the shell of success lies a heart flowing with varied emotions. It can be lonely at the top. Every person wants to be loved, accepted and connected with others. The Savior offered so much more than healing. He provided hope for those in extremely challenging situations.

Jesus recognized interruptions as a part of God’s plan. When we’re interrupted, our first thought can be to question God: “Why is this happening?” Instead, Jesus rightly understood interruptions serve as part of God’s plan, not in opposition to it. 

So, the next time you’re interrupted, ask, “How will God work through this situation?” The Lord is always ahead of us and knows the obstacles we’ll face before we face them. With Jesus and Jairus, all hope seemed lost. Jairus’ daughter was reported as dead. Yet Jesus had a plan far more surprising than anyone expected. He brought the girl back to life before the eyes of her parents, Peter, James, and John. Those in that room were forever changed regarding their faith in the power of Jesus. 

Sometimes God allows us to face problems that seem beyond resolution. When we’re at our wits end, Jesus will often provide answers to strengthen our faith and open our eyes to see God’s power more clearly. Interruptions often serve as part of His plan to increase our trust in Him.

Interruptions are part of life. Let’s choose to respond like Jesus. Let’s choose to be gracious and compassionate like He was!