Life Interrupted
What does your life look like today? Is it everything that you had planned and more?
Do you have your 1, 3 or 5 year plan penciled out on a crisp piece of paper, folded somewhere in a drawer? Do you pull it out at times and get upset when you begin to realize that through the years, wrinkles have been placed in your plans? What about your every day, not just the big milestone moments but the daily grind of your life, does it always go the way that you have it written in your planner?
I recall to mind a time that I was at the doctor waiting to be seen and seeing a young girl in the waiting room reading a book on parenting. I asked her if she was expecting a baby and I silently laughed at the response that I got from her. She curtly replied, no, not yet, but it is all planned out with my husband & I to conceive in 3 years and then parent the baby according to the instructions by the book. I do think of this girl from time to time through the years and wonder if her plans worked out for her and if the book gave her all of the correct answers for parenting an unpredictable child. (insert laughing)
I am not sure about your life, but my life is constantly interrupted. Sickness, road construction that makes me late, ER visits, appliances that break when we cannot cover another added expense, unexpected job challenges. I know that I could list so many more things that happen and I am sure you could add a multitude of your very own.
Sadly, in most cases, I do not handle the interruptions of my life with any kind of grace.
In fact, if I am completely honest, there are tears, fears, yelling and pity parties have all been known to transpire during most said times. I still get a little bent out of shape now and then when things in my life get interrupted, but I have grown up a lot, and I have finally learned that even though these things are a surprise to me, they never are to God!! These interruptions are divine interventions by God to teach me, stretch me and grow me in some way that will make me more like Christ in my life.
God had to teach me long ago that 1. I was not Moses and he would NOT be using me to part the red sea anytime soon and 2. I have to stop looking for big things in this life to trust him more. He uses the small, everyday interruptions to work on my trust & obedience.
Let's face it, our lives are not big, everyday dramatic moments, a motion picture of spotlight & red carpet or being asked to build an ark, or become King of a nation. Our everyday is little moments, decisions from struggle to struggle that God allows to happen for us to learn to rely on him for strength instead of having it come from ourselves. The little moments that when we get stuck in traffic on 53rd when we are already running behind, the ATM that is out of order again at the credit union, whatever circumstance that we face in our daily craziness, our faith is tested and stretched. We cannot be the man who built his house on the sand, we are children of a savior who only has our best interest at heart, every time.
He sustains me and always gives me the strength that I need in the little moments that interrupt my life every day. He reminds me that I need him and his gospel, every minute of every day. I don't have this life figured out and he knows that I need reminded of that on a daily basis.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God's word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven." But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, "What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins."
The 4 men carried their friend on a mat, lifted him up to the roof and then dug through the roof in order to lower him down to Jesus. I am truly enamored by the extent of their friendship, their belief and the lengths that they went to just for a chance. There was no guarantee that they would see Jesus, no guarantee that if they did get to him, that he would heal their friend. The sun was so warm but they didn't care. They were lives were being interrupted this day. They carried their friend for miles, on a mat, on a dirt road, wearing sandals on their feet. Their backs, arms and legs hurting from the weight and the distance of travel. When they got to the house, they were not simply able to walk through the front door with him but they had to climb to the roof and lift him up there as well. Then, if it had not already been tough enough, they all had to dig with their hands, through the clay, dirt & straw until they finally had a hole big enough to fit him through and lower him down on his mat.
I picture this part of the story so vividly, Jesus being in the middle of preaching in his house and he starts getting hit with pieces of clay, dirt & straw. He automatically looks up in wonder at what is going on. This was his life interrupted. Preaching God's word to the crowd gathered in his house and the ceiling breaks and a paralyzed man is lowered down in front of him. Personally, I would have been saying, what the heck? But Jesus, our sweet, loving Jesus was so ok with it. He accepted the interruption and knew that what had happened was more important than what he was currently doing. He healed the paralyzed man by telling him to pick up his mat and go. Jesus saw the faith that he and his friends had and this interruption of showing God's healing power was far more important than anything he was saying at the moment the man was lowered down.
See, it is having something interrupting our everyday moments in life but being still being able to say that he is the King of my heart and knowing he is good! whatever it may be, it is God's plan that has allowed it to happen. The interruptions that continue to teach me to take my eyes off of myself and focus them on Christ, where they are supposed to always be!
Be the King of my heart!
https://youtu.be/g6_BLuhr0HQ
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| Erin's Accident |
I recall to mind a time that I was at the doctor waiting to be seen and seeing a young girl in the waiting room reading a book on parenting. I asked her if she was expecting a baby and I silently laughed at the response that I got from her. She curtly replied, no, not yet, but it is all planned out with my husband & I to conceive in 3 years and then parent the baby according to the instructions by the book. I do think of this girl from time to time through the years and wonder if her plans worked out for her and if the book gave her all of the correct answers for parenting an unpredictable child. (insert laughing)
I am not sure about your life, but my life is constantly interrupted. Sickness, road construction that makes me late, ER visits, appliances that break when we cannot cover another added expense, unexpected job challenges. I know that I could list so many more things that happen and I am sure you could add a multitude of your very own.
Sadly, in most cases, I do not handle the interruptions of my life with any kind of grace.
 |
| mom's heart attack |
God had to teach me long ago that 1. I was not Moses and he would NOT be using me to part the red sea anytime soon and 2. I have to stop looking for big things in this life to trust him more. He uses the small, everyday interruptions to work on my trust & obedience.
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| my grandparents |
He sustains me and always gives me the strength that I need in the little moments that interrupt my life every day. He reminds me that I need him and his gospel, every minute of every day. I don't have this life figured out and he knows that I need reminded of that on a daily basis.
A while back at church, Pastor Shawn shared these verses from the book of Mark and I have heard this story time and time again, but this time was different. This time, this all too familiar story taught me about living life interrupted in a very different way.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God's word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven." But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, "What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins."
Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man "your sins are forgiven, or stand up, pick up your mat and walk? So I will prove to you that the son of man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!" And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, :We've never seen anything like this before!" (Mark 2:1-12, NLT),
I am not sure why I am always surprised when the plans that I have made for my life do not work out, when Jesus himself lived life interrupted.
This story of the paralyzed man is one of my favorites from the bible. To me, it is one of the greatest examples of friendship & living life interrupted. Tonight, I looked at the story from a much different light. It was not just the fact that the men believed Jesus was the savior of the world, or that Jesus healed the man, it was how our lives can be interrupted on a daily basis and it is what we do during those times that matter.
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| Cancer 101 |
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| Katie Kidney Stone |
I picture this part of the story so vividly, Jesus being in the middle of preaching in his house and he starts getting hit with pieces of clay, dirt & straw. He automatically looks up in wonder at what is going on. This was his life interrupted. Preaching God's word to the crowd gathered in his house and the ceiling breaks and a paralyzed man is lowered down in front of him. Personally, I would have been saying, what the heck? But Jesus, our sweet, loving Jesus was so ok with it. He accepted the interruption and knew that what had happened was more important than what he was currently doing. He healed the paralyzed man by telling him to pick up his mat and go. Jesus saw the faith that he and his friends had and this interruption of showing God's healing power was far more important than anything he was saying at the moment the man was lowered down.
See, it is having something interrupting our everyday moments in life but being still being able to say that he is the King of my heart and knowing he is good! whatever it may be, it is God's plan that has allowed it to happen. The interruptions that continue to teach me to take my eyes off of myself and focus them on Christ, where they are supposed to always be!
Be the King of my heart!
https://youtu.be/g6_BLuhr0HQ
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