Interruptions, Delays and Inconveniences

Today At the Well is being hosted by Lori at I Will Take It Lord... and the topic is "Interruptions, Delays and Inconveniences". This discussion is about how Titus 2 reminds us to ..."to be kind," but are we really as kind as we can be in our daily lives or are we so focused that we only see the interruptions, delays and inconveniences as frustrations instead of the opportunities that lie in them for God to reveal Himself.

The questions are:
How do you handle interruptions in your days? Do you plow right on over them missing opportunities God has placed on your path? What interruptions frustrate you the most? How are you working to overcome that?

Let me quickly confess with my answers: I do not handle interruptions well, and yes, I plow right over God given opportunities and almost any interruption frustrates me. There, I feel better! Now, what am I doing to overcome this?

As Chelsea mentioned in her post on this topic, I am a firstborn, firstborns are wired to be organized and efficient, it is just what we do. We stay focused on a task and get it done. Interruptions hinder progress. In my early mother years, the house absolutely HAD to be clean. There were things to do - always. There was no time for play except at a scheduled time, when the work was done. As I look back, I regretfully realized I missed many joyous opportunities with my children.

When the children grew older I got a job as a church secretary. I was a hard worker, staying busy through the day completing my work. The only problem was the telephone - it rang all day long! But the thing I began to realize was the needs on the other end could be urgent and needed full attention. You never know who is on the other end of the phone. It may be a salesman, it may be an elderly person calling in a prayer request, it may be someone needing to talk or it may be a crisis. These were the calls that changed my mindset about interruptions. Through the years, desperate calls have been answered by those who were in a marital crisis, who were at the end of their rope financially, who had a loved one in the hospital right then, emergency situations, someone who had just had a loved one pass away... it became apparent that the phone and the opportunities and necessity to move quickly to help deal with these situations overrode my work schedule. As the Lord chipped away my hardness and ignorance in this area, I began to ask Him to show me ways how to minister to others. I realized that interruptions could be viewed as opportunities to show kindness, patience and love. And these opportunities are everywhere.

This lesson most importantly belongs in the home. It never fails, the minute I sit down at the computer, or get on the telephone, someone needs something! So, I have learned to use the firstborn skills to cover things. Before I get on the computer or do something that needs full attention, I make sure the needs are met. The most important thing for me and the one that takes the most effort and concentration is the response! When stopped mid task and asked for a favor - respond graciously - what is more important, the task or the family member and the opportunity to show them their importance in my heart? The response should be happy, not a sigh or a heavy breath ( I have done this!), but a smile and a positive word - "sure" etc.

In a book I read once, it was suggested to first thing in the morning pray over the day - the planned activities and the unplanned things that will come up and the opportunities will be recognized and seized! May God bless and ordain all our days and all our interruptions!