Yesterday, we had an early-out due to the fact that it was the end of the term. The extra time in the afternoon was a much-appreciated "gift" from the District to get some grading done. Fortunately, no meetings had been scheduled, so it was intended to be uninterrupted work time, which it was for me. . .until Molly walked in.
Molly is not my student, and I don't even know her last name. A couple of months ago, I met Molly for the first time when she wandered in to get some grammar help. Yesterday, she wandered in because she was considering a class change and wanted to pick my brain. For the next half hour or better, we talked it through, walked around school so that she could meet with a couple other teachers, and parted ways. That was that.
As I walked back to my classroom, I wondered, "What was that about, God?" I would like to report that He whispered a response into my ear, but alas, no. I still have no idea.
This morning's devotional was from Mark 5: 21-34. In this passage, Jesus was interrupted twice. First, Jairus came running up and asked Jesus to head home with him because his daughter was sick. On the way, a woman reached out and touched his cloak. This, in itself, wasn't a big deal, but the interruption occurred when He stopped to find out who had done it and why.
"She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, 'If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.' Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering" (v 26-8).
People were pressing Jesus on all sides as He walked to Jairus's house; clearly, his personal space was being invaded by everybody in the crowd, so why stop and pick on this chick? Even the disciples were perplexed. And it's not like anything bad had happened; she had been healed. Still, Jesus stopped and called her out, "Who touched my clothes?" (30)
It's not like Jesus to be a bully; that's just not true to His character. What He wanted was for the woman to share her testimony. Her confession was better than any "lesson" He could have taught the crowd that day. He affirms this idea when He says, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (34).
That interruption was a divine appointment. The same is true of the interruptions in our lives.
In my devotional today, the author says, "We may feel we have no room for interruptions. But suspending our ordinary duties to reach out to other people could be the defining moment in their lives and possibly in ours. By considering the way Jesus responded to interruptions, we can begin to view interruptions as opportunities to be Jesus for other people."
Even though schedules and checklists make me feel better, God likes to keep me on my toes by throwing all sorts of wrenches into my plans. I admit that I could easily make my schedules and checklists a god, so He sends frequent reminders, aka interruptions, that HE is God. All that said, I still don't know why Molly showed up yesterday. I may never know, but what I do know is that it was not an accident.
"If you give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed." Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest.
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