I hate being interrupted or disrupted when I am in the middle of of something, especially focusing on an issue, a conversation or studying. Most people don't like that too much. Yet I sometimes am the disruption. How do we deal with those? What is our attitude?
Often I have to stop and take a look at what is going on and how I am looking at my surroundings. Most of the time I have allowed the disruption into my life and my situation. How is that? It could be because I have not said no, or because I answered the phone, or because I didn't make some changes, or it could any of a number of things.
Fact is, we need times when we are not disrupted. Before we go on, let me give you some God thoughts on how to deal with disruption:
Psalm 46:10 (nlt) --- "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."
Colossians 3:2 (nasb) --- Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Philippians 3:13 (nlt) --- No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
Those are not magical things to make disruptions disappear, but they might just change what you do and how you do them. They might just change how you look at situations and deal with other people.
Craig Groeschel talked on his blog this week about disruptions in a few posts. Here are some of those notes:
(most recent post) When I finally admitted that I was constantly overwhelmed with ministry, a trusted advisor told me, "A few days off here and there won't change your problem. If you were going to overcome this challenge, you would have done it a long time ago. You need to get some help." That's what I did. I've made major changes.
(post about needing disruptive voices) Invite someone new to offer you an opinion about your message. Develop a friendship with someone from a different country or religion. Read outside your comfort zone. Some of our best insights can come from those outside our normal circles.
(post about needing to change your setting) The longer you do ministry, the easier it becomes to minister from memory. You tend to do what you used to do. It is safe, comfortable, and convenient. To stay spiritually and creatively fresh, I suggest "strategic disruptions." By disrupting your rhythms, you may experience just enough to change your perspective slightly. Suddenly, you could be more sensitive to hear something new from God.
Did you catch the twist? I look at disruptions in the wrong way. Sometimes God wants to use disruptions to change me. Think about it. We need to not minister from memory or get stuck in the way we see or think about God. Life is meant to be fresh and meaningful, not dull and humdrum. Get that.
Finally, I was sitting at my desk (right where I am now) writing yesterday's devotion when my little boy kept coming in and disrupting me. I was getting a little bent out of shape. Before I stopped myself, I blew up. Wrong thing, even though I knew what I was doing was important. Disruptions often get our attention about how we deal with people, or with ourselves or even in how we deal with God. Think about it.
Comments
I love you, Mom