Learning to Love the Interruptions

I like schedules. Anyone who has ever lived with me knows that I do everything according to a schedule and structure. I wake up at almost the same time every day. I do the same thing in the morning—every day. I have lists of tasks that keep me focused. Structure keeps me sane. It helps me get through the day. It allows me to feel like I am accomplishing something. And the worst part about it all—I hate it when my schedule is interrupted. Usually it is interrupted by people. People I like. But sadly in my heart a battle is raging. “I really want to talk to this person right now, but I have like ten things I wanted to get done and now I will only get eight done because of this twenty minute conversation and then my day will be all thrown off and tomorrow will start bad…” You can see where this is going.

My problem, and to be honest, my sin problem, is that I only want to talk to people on my terms. I actually want everything on my terms. If I could schedule everything I would be much happier, but would I? It’s not really that my friends and family are interrupting my important life; it’s that I think my life is so important that it can’t be interrupted. Jesus didn’t think that. Can you imagine if he did? Of all people he really didn’t need the interruptions, but he came down to earth to save sinful fallen people like myself. He was always willing to be interrupted. Even when the disciples thought that he shouldn’t be interacting with certain people because they had things to do, he did it anyway. People were important. Their souls were of great value to him.

Jesus saves me from my sin. This is amazing. He saves me from my schedule and my need to always be in control. He saves me from the wicked assumption that my world is the only thing that matters. All of his righteousness swallows up my wicked pride and self-preoccupation.

You see, I can hide under the guise of order and structure and make people think that my life is really important because I am always busy. But that would not be showing people the greatness of Jesus. It would be showing them the greatness of me—which really isn’t that great anyway. Jesus loved people, even in the interruptions because he wanted them to see God. He wanted them to see the awesome beauty of his glory and power—and he wanted them to be saved. What I need, in much greater measure, is a strong desire to see people saved, not my list to be accomplished. I need more love for people, not my list. I need to get out of my structure bubble and care about what is going on in the lives of those around me. And I need more of Jesus, and less of me.