Daily Archives: June 2, 2009

I collect excellent quotes. Our pastor gave a great one on Sunday, but I can’t remember it exactly. What’s worse: I didn’t write the whole thing down and now can’t find it online. It went something like this:

“Interruptions are real life. What we believe is real life is often a figment of our imaginations.”

Somebody somewhere said something very similar to that. Since I can’t remember it exactly, let me quote Stuart McWilliam: “Life’s interruptions are life’s opportunities.”

This week I’ve tried to stop and intentionally establish a time of rest and prayer. (Thank you, Kellie, for the challenge!) It’s been much more of a challenge than I expected. Every time I try, I get interrupted. The phone rings. The washer overflows. Ellie needs a drink. Zach needs to go potty. Someone knocks on the door. The kids start arguing and need a referee. I need to go potty. The interruptions never stop. I want an hour, but can’t seem to find fifteen consecutive minutes! I make lofty plans. I have over a dozen posts started (including a mini-series on Bathsheba), articles to write, dreams of planting a garden, cleaning my house, painting the shutters, hosting a brunch, visiting with friends … but can’t find the time to finish a single endeavor. I am always interrupted.

This quote (or at least my remembered version of it) reminds me that my plans are not God’s plans. I may envision quiet afternoons with plenty of time for writing and meditating. More often than not God has very different afternoons planned for me. Ones that involve actively training my children, serving my neighbors and maintaining a suitable, wecloming home for my husband. This doesn’t mean my writing and meditation are unimportant. Just that they may need to wait. And these interruptions may be golden opportunities in disguise.