A Ministry of Interruptions
In our hurried world we live in, with schedules and deadlines, we often fail to appreciate the fact that Jesus had a ministry of interruptions. He having dinner with friends and woman burst into the house to pour oil on his feet, and he minsters to those around him. He's talking in a house and a bunch of people pull the roof off the building to have Him heal their friend. He's sleeping and wealthy man interrupts his sleep at midnight. He's hanging out talking with His friends and by the end of the day He has to feed 5,000 people. He's walking down a street when someone touches his garment and draws power out of him. Lepers cry out as he walks down the path. People. People everywhere needing a word, or a touch of healing. And no matter what He was doing He was interrupted to help others.
When God interrupts your tight little schedule and your list of important things to do to minister to a common person at a time such as this, how do you respond? Initially I get kind of irritated. Like last week, when we went to our son's parole hearing. Surely we would be right in, and right out. Ummm...Well, we were the first in, and the first out.
I spent more than two hours ministering to a couple of the other families waiting to be seen. They were the second to the last, and the first to the last, because...well, I had to minister to them. I didn't even notice that's what I was doing. I was just doing what I do--counsel and advise people. While I knew that something felt different (duh, the presence of the Holy Spirit will do that), internally I was clock watching. I seriously could not believe that we were going to be the last ones seen.
Yet I continued to talk to talk to these women about how hard it is to be the mom who has waited for the phone call your son was just killed in a gutter during a drug deal. Or the police had to shoot him because he made a wrong move towards them. I commiserated with them about the heart of a mom. They felt relieved that someone actually understood. I comforted one mom when she found out her son would not be getting paroled. I talked with her about her anxiety and worry. And then I was allowed to pray for her.
Yet I was frustrated because I had clients to see and they did not know that I was running late because we are not allowed to take our cell phones inside the prison area. At one point Mike and I had a couple of moments alone in the room (did I mention we were the last ones taken in?) and he gently said, "Obviously God has you here to minister to those other families. They really need what you have to offer.
One family comes back in. The bus comes to get them. And still we waited.
The other family came back. Her son was getting parole. I talked with them about organizations in their area that might be able to help him stay sober. The bus came for them. And still we were not being taken in for our son's meeting. I fussed at Mike about it. He said, "Well, clearly there was more you were supposed to say to them."
Finally we got called in for our son's meeting. And still I was stressing out. I had a client I was very concerned about. One I knew would show up to office for her appointment only to find me not there. In fact, I was still at the prison at the time her appointment was supposed to start.
When we were able to get to the car I called her right away. We were able to reschedule for later that day. Once I knew she was settled I was able to begin to appreciate the ministry of interruptions Jesus had just thrown me in to. I now know I was right where God wanted me to be, doing what God wanted me to be doing. And I was letting someone else down at the same time. Sometimes I just don't know how to balance those emotions at the time.
How do you respond when you are going about your business and God gives you a sudden ministry of interruption?