Interruptions

My faith journey right now is riddled with interruptions. Aren’t they great? LOL Okay, they are frustrating—at least to me.

Knowing the importance of time management to productivity, I’ve attempted to put myself on a schedule this year. My husband gave me a Palm Pilot for Christmas in order to help me with this goal. Each Sunday evening I’ve faithfully entered the tasks and schedule for the upcoming workweek. And at times it works!

I’m beginning to wonder if I should just enter large blocks of time to accommodate the interruptions. I’m fully aware that the word the Lord gave me this year is “continual guidance.” And I think that’s why the interruptions.

It’s not that I mind some of the interruptions. After all, anytime my daughter calls from London, I’m going to talk to her, without complaint. The same with my son doing a pastoral internship in California. And of course the same goes for my husband. My family comes first.

Which is why the latest interruption that has thrown my schedule all off coarse today doesn’t bother me. Late yesterday afternoon, we heard from our son who was returning from a camp conference in northwest Louisiana. He was with a group of six people from our church-owned camp (Camp Eden, Golden). They had flown into Dallas and rented a car to drive to the camp in Louisiana. On the way back to Dallas, they had to negotiate around a major accident, and as a result, they missed their flight to Denver. Which made Randy miss his flight on to Sacramento last night. They were able to make the last flight from Dallas to Denver on stand-by. By then Randy’s flight was long gone. So we got to have him one more night.

That’s not the interruption (though it was for Randy!). Last night, while we were discussing when Randy needed to be back at DIA, I told him to talk to his dad because he would be the one to take him. NOT! It was too late to arrange for someone else to arrive at the construction job early to open the building for the earlybird construction workers. So . . . Mom’s schedule got interrupted big-time. But you know what? We had a great discussion on the way to the airport, something we wouldn’t probably have done over the phone. So while my morning has gotten rearranged, it’s okay.

I’m finally learning to take all the interruptions and unexpected responsibilities as God’s way of reminding that He’s in total control of my schedule. While I seek His direction when I’m entering my schedule for the week, accepting or rejecting editing/proofreading projects (and I hate to say no, but I had to this week already), or considering other demands on my time, I know that the schedule could change radically before the end of the week.

It’s all part of the Lord asking me to walk blind with my hand firmly held in His while I learn to completely trust His leading. He allows the interruptions because He loves me and He knows what’s best for me. It’s all part of the journey.

But there are still times I allow myself to get overwhelmed by what I perceive are interruptions that complicate and make impossible to do the work I have . . . until the Lord reminds me we are His schedule and time, not mine.

God is good!


Daily Bible reading: Friday—Exodus 14–15; 1 Thessalonians 3