Embracing Interruptions

I said in a sermon recently that Jesus’s love made him open to constant interruptions from the people around him. I didn’t mention any specific examples of that, but it wasn’t because I couldn’t come up with any.

Think about the story of Jairus and his daughter in Mark 5:21-43. Jesus has just gotten off a boat when a man falls at his feet pleading for help, because his 12-year-old is sick and at death’s door. So, Jesus immediately goes with him (interruption #1). On the way to Jairus’s house, a woman who’s been bleeding for over a decade pushes through a crowd to touch Jesus’s clothes, and she’s healed. Jesus can sense that something happened, and he stops to talk with the woman (interruption #2). After this delay, a messenger brings word that the girl has died—but Jesus goes on with Jairus anyways, and restores his daughter to life.

Or take this story in Mark 10: “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me…’ Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” (10:13-14, 16) He was more than happy to pause his plans for those kids.

Another time, Jesus was traveling to Jericho, and a blind beggar beside the road started shouting “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Christ’s entourage yelled at the man to be quiet, but when Jesus heard him, he stopped. He had the man brought over and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:35-43) Jesus's knee-jerk reaction wasn't "I'm busy," but "How can I help?"

In all of these scenes, Jesus isn’t bothered by the people looking for his time and attention. He came here to give people his time and attention! The disciples might have seen these things as interruptions, but Jesus just saw people—and he loves people. He embraced the interruptions.

Embracing interruptions may be the secret sauce of loving your neighbor well. Other people will always make demands on you. Whether a driver cuts you off on the road, a friend asks for a ride to a doctor’s appointment on a hectic week, or your kid needs a few minutes of attention when you’re in a hurry, people are constantly interrupting our plans, our mood, and our busyness. Those are the moments when your love can be most easily extinguished, or when it can shine most brightly.

For me, parenting has been like one long bootcamp for learning to embrace interruptions. A child reminds you, relentlessly, that your time is not your own—it belongs to others. That was a hard pill for me to swallow at first (and still is, sometimes), but I’m learning to share myself. I’m learning to love.

Where do you struggle to embrace the interruptions? With a co-worker, or a parent? With a sibling who’s struggling, a neighbor who’s alone and aging, a customer who’s demanding? Who are you still learning to love?

Whenever you’re having trouble reacting to something in a Christlike way in the heat of the moment, all you can do is try to prepare yourself ahead of time. Some preparation is slow and gradual, years of growing in patience and understanding. But some preparation can happen right before you walk in the room. Maybe you need to adjust your expectations. Maybe you need to remember that you're dealing with real people, who have real needs and feelings, whom Jesus really expects you to love.

What has worked for you? Or how might you start anticipating and preparing yourself for today’s interruptions? 

You can listen to this week's devotional right here!