Pardon the Interruption

Darren often watches a show on ESPN called "Pardon the Interruption" where two men debate their thoughts on various sporting news. It isn't unusual for these two men to interrupt each other in mid sentence, so they can speak their opinion or protest the other's comment. As humans, we get very frustrated when someone interrupts us when we are telling a story or in my case, when I am trying to teach my students. The interruptions are so frustrating that it can make us irritable at everything in our paths. For those who have ever been in a car with my husband, you know that he tends to get frustrated at "slow drivers" who are on the highway. We may be running late to an appointment and there will be that one slow driver out for a "Sunday drive" when it isn't even Sunday! This morning I was awakened to my cell phone ringing before my alarm went off. On the other end of the phone was my twin sister, Beth, crying and shaken up. She proceeded to explain to me that she had just witnessed a car rolling off 635 onto the exit ramp right in front of her. She was shaken up not only by the car rolling onto the road in front of her, but thankful that she wasn't hit. She was on 635 headed for her destination and was frustrated to be stuck behind what she referred to as the "slowest driver ever!" While she was driving she was starting to get frustrated that the driver was making her late and thought about going around the car. Thankfully God had other plans. If she had gone around that car and exited the highway onto Centerville then she would have either been hit by the rolling car or hit by the cars swerving around the rolling car!

David reminds us in Psalms that God protects us each day and has plans for us. Psalm 138:7-8 says, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hand." When we reflect on the words, 'with your right hand you save me,' we can thank God for the little interruptions in our lives that cause us to slow down. For in Psalm 46:10, "He says, 'Be still and know that I am God." What if we began to think of the slow drivers as God's blessing to us to remind us to slow down and enjoy the moment and to thank Him for the day, and the safe commute? How often have we rushed through traffic only to avoid a wreck right in front of us or been stuck in traffic and thank God that we were not the cause of the traffic jam?

Next time you get annoyed with an interruption, remember to thank God. Let His interruption remind you to look for a purpose in the interruption. We ask God for specific things in prayers, but barely stop to reflect on what He is trying to tell us. The next time you are behind a slow driver, stop and think about what God is trying to tell you and thank Him for all the little interruptions in your life.