Holy Interruptions

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’” Luke 1:30

We all know what it’s like. We’re sailing along, minding our own business when our life is suddenly interrupted in a way we didn’t anticipate and that we don’t particularly like. We hear the words of the diagnosis that turns life on its head and the future we thought we had mapped out is suddenly very uncertain. The job we thought was secure turns out to be shifting sand and we’re left flailing for something solid on which to stand. The child we nurtured and loved turns into someone we no longer know, leaving a gaping hole in our heart. We know that life brings tears, betrayals, hurts, and fears and yet we’re surprised when it happens to us. Often our response is to wonder where God is in the midst of all of that. Maybe we’re even angry with Him that He allowed this to happen, that He let our well-laid plans be so completely interrupted by the unexpected.

Yet do we consider that this is what happened to Mary? She knew what her future was going to be. She would marry this nice man, Joseph, raise their family, do the work she had been trained to do, rock her grandchildren on her lap, and die an old woman, content in the loving arms of her close-knit community and family. Suddenly, she’s asked to become an unwed mother, possibly dumped by Joseph, ostracized by her family and friends, the fodder for the town gossips. She received no baby showers with friends and relatives sharing the joy of her upcoming motherhood, no cigars shared by the proud father. Of course, we all know that it got much worse than that, but at the time she knew that she would need to endure at least that much. And yet the angel tells her she’s not supposed to be afraid because she has found favor with God. In other words, God is giving her a kindness, a blessing. Seriously?! How could this be a blessing? The answer, of course, is in the fact that this baby she was asked to bear was in reality the Son of God.

How has your life been interrupted? What plans have either blown up in your face or eroded and washed down the drain? Have you stopped to consider that it may be a holy interruption? Perhaps God is working His purpose in your life or in the lives of those around you by throwing that curve ball your way. I don’t know why some things happen, or what God’s purpose may be. But I am convinced that His love is unfailing and complete. I know, I’ve been there, too. I’ve wanted to say, “If He really loved me He wouldn’t have allowed this thing to happen.” But I’ve learned that often it’s because of His love that we are given the gift of walking through a difficult circumstance because it’s in those times that I’ve learned to lean heavily on Him and felt the strength and courage of our God. So this Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of this little baby, thank God for the holy interruptions in your life and if you’re in the midst of one right now, cling to Him for all you’re worth!