Nobody likes to be interrupted. 

In fact, when you look at the average calendar today it is common to see meetings and appointments being stacked on top of each other like a giant Jenga puzzle.  In the pursuit to get things done one item to consider, are you giving God room to be part of your day? From the moment you wake up in the morning the list of demands and tasks never stops.  Workout, prayer, Scripture reading, breakfast, getting kids ready, commute, meetings, conference calls, appointments, lunch (while working), another commute, dinner, evening routines, bedtime, time with your spouse and then guess what…tomorrow it all starts again!  

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Luke 18:35-43

We are addicted to busyness and while we are called to work hard for six days and rest one the fact is being busy isn’t always productive. Taking a closer look at Scripture we see first-hand how Jesus dealt with interruptions.  In the eighteenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel Jesus is traveling and during the journey He was approaching Jericho.  The crowds were massive, and his popularity was growing by leaps and bounds. His calendar was full, and He had holy work that needed to be done.  During this trip a blind man heard the commotion of Jesus passing by and immediately began calling out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”.  Those that were leading the way were trying to quiet him down.  This would be the modern equivalent of crowd control for a celebrity or the president.  However, Jesus had a special response to this interruption. 

In verse 40 it says Jesus stopped and commanded the man to be brought to Him.  He took the time to engage in conversation with the man and inquired on how He could serve him.  In this instance the request was for him to receive his sight back.  If you back up a few verses in this Gospel you see that Jesus just told the disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem where He would be arrested, mocked, mistreated, spit on, scourged, killed and then three days later He would rise.  To say His calendar was full and stress was high would be the biggest understatement of all time. However, Jesus didn’t let the strain of His calendar let Him miss an opportunity for a Holy interruption.  In fact, He often would stop to serve those around Him often time when it was inconvenient. 

If God puts an opportunity for you to advance the Kingdom tomorrow, would you be able to walk it out or is your calendar so rigid that there is no room for adjustments?  The demand on our time has never been greater and the more responsibilities you have the greater the value your time becomes.  If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot build in flexibility into your schedule, then perhaps a mindset shift will help.  Develop a “Willing” attitude and accept that when God calls you to His work that your schedule will have to adapt.  This may mean taking time to talk to a coworker when you sense something is off, showing kindness to someone in a parking lot when their car is not starting or taking the time to answer that phone call that instead of letting it go to voicemail.  These are all simple ways that God can perform a Holy interruption however we must be obedient and that starts with having a willing attitude.  

As you think about your schedule it is important that we do not beat ourselves up.  Give yourself some grace and recognize that now is the best opportunity to make the changes that He desires.  Be willing, be ready, and be on the lookout for those Holy Interruptions.  When they arrive greet them with love and enjoy being the hands and feet of Jesus.  For support being the man God intends you to be join our community where we have the resources, expertise, and guidance you need.  See you inside the den!