Above: While technically Grandparents Day was an "interruption" from our regular school schedule, it was for sure a welcomed and enjoyable one!
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this important message." Do you remember watching TV and seeing words like these pop up? (Maybe I am really dating myself here!?) Whether on television or in our everyday activities, interruptions are a very real part of the human experience. The question I'm pondering is, how do we handle them?
I must admit, my gut reaction to interruptions is often either annoyance or frustration or sometimes a downright terrible attitude. I suppose there are the rare times when an interruption can be a welcome break - for example, I imagine someone stopping by to drop off a plate of freshly baked cookies, pulling me away from cleaning my house or managing my oh-so-creative-and-energetic children would be an interruption I wouldn't mind so much. Generally speaking though, interruptions seem to have a way of bringing out the worst in me rather than the best.
I wonder if there might be a way to change my default response to interruptions. When I really think about it, there are probably always good opportunities in the interruptions. So what if I practiced saying a simple prayer like "Thank You God for how You can use this" whenever I'm interrupted?
I remember reading a story about Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy in the book "The Hiding Place". They were experiencing terrible conditions in a concentration camp during World War II, and as I recall, Betsy decided to thank God for the fleas - clearly not a natural response, and one that Corrie found difficult to support. But as it turned out, the two sisters ended up being able to avoid having the guards enter their barracks - because of the fleas. The fleas were what God used to protect them. So the prayer, "Thank You God for how You can use this", may have had relevance even in their dire situation.
How about us? How about our students? Our children? What if we would all begin to practice thanking God for our daily interruptions?
The car won't start. Thank You God for how You can use this.
Our kid gets sick. Thank You God for how You can use this.
We get sick. Thank You God for how You can use this.
Maybe sometimes we quickly see how God is using interruptions for good. Other times it may be years later, or we may never even see. But can we trust God anyway? Can we practice giving thanks "in all circumstances", as Paul encourages us to do? It is certainly not always easy... but I think it's probably worth it.
Pray with me...
... Father, make us thankful people, willing to give thanks even for interruptions
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15
... Lord, thank You for the way You will use the interruptions in our lives and the lives of our students
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
... Holy Spirit, we invite You to bring about whatever interruptions will draw us closer to You
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. Haggai 2:6-7
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and pray for Alliance Christian School District! Lord willing, I plan to publish a new blog post weekly throughout the school year. Feel free to subscribe (at the bottom of this page) if you'd like to be notified each time a new blog post has been published. We also have a prayer team that is always open for new pray-ers to join. If you'd like to learn more, email me at cwarner@alliancechristian.org.
~ Carrie Warner, ACSD Prayer Team Coordinator
Soli Deo Gloria
To God alone be the glory
