Why is the word “interruption” filled with such a negative connotation?
As busy Americans, our lives are constantly being interrupted. Our work is interrupted by problems that need to be solved or family crises. Our vacations are interrupted by unplanned or seemingly necessary work. And sometimes our faith is interrupted by service, family obligations, and more urgent matters.

Webster’s dictionary defines the interruption as “to stop or hinder by breaking in, to break the uniformity or continuity of.” Though our first inclination is to think interruptions are a bad thing, maybe interruptions are God’s way of “breaking in” to get us back on His track.

When I started my blog, it was to learn how to balance all areas of my life—professionally, domestically, spiritually, and emotionally. I wanted to learn how to deal with interruptions and work through them. But if I was honest, I wanted to learn how to avoid them completely.

Like many of you, I hate interruptions. I hate being drawn from that sweet spot in my writing, ripped from an exciting scene in a book I’m reading, or being torn from an intimate place with Jesus to attend to a less worthy and noble task like answering email, cooking dinner, and yes, even tending to the needs of my children. It’s just not fun doing those things sometimes. And I’d look at those types of interruptions in my life as burdens, “have tos” on my way to get to the “want tos.”

Then, just like what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus, God knocked me off my horse. But instead of blinding me, the scales fell from my eyes. Though God didn’t speak to me in an audible voice, He came through loud and clear in a group Bible study on hearing the voice of God.

The topic of discussion study that week was being sold out and hungry for God. The  author Pricilla Shirer shared these words:

“More and more the Lord is showing me what I consider interruptions are often divine distractions designed to reveal His plans for me…”

Pricilla Shirer wrote about her young son tugging on her leg, trying to get her attention while she sat engrossed in writing that very Bible study. “Ignoring this interruption ignores God’s attempt to move me away from my plan for my day to His.”

It was in that “ah-ha” moment that I realized I was treating my children as interruptions in my life and to my writing career. I had become so focused on what I thought my calling from God was that I’d been missing His divine plan for my life.

When I decided to homeschool almost five years ago, I felt it was an interruption in my life and writing career. My youngest was two and a half, and I had just recommitted to my writing after a ten year sabbatical to raise my kids. Wasn’t it the perfect time to focus on my career?

But without consulting me on the matter, God threw a wrench in the plan by directing me to homeschool. The time I thought I would have to write now had to be allocated to schooling. Still, I was determined to make it work even if it meant staying up past midnight and “winging it” through my lessons the following day. During a quick break or at lunch, I’d steal away to the computer and get on email only to stay longer than I had planned. My two-and-a-half-year-old would often interrupt what I was doing, and I’d either shoo her away or get irritated at the interruption. If I lingered too long on the computer, I knew chaos would erupt in the rooms below, but somehow I couldn’t pull myself away in time to prevent the inevitable.

Pricilla went on to write:

“…We all become frustrated when seemingly meaningless interruptions interfere with plans we have for our careers, families, finances, or ministries. Are we missing God’s interventions as He seeks to divert us to His will?”

Was I missing God’s intervention as He sought to divert me to His will? I thought homeschooling was an interruption in my life, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was God’s divine intervention to steer me back on the path He had already designed for me.

Pricilla said, “Sometimes when our plans are interrupted, we are staring God’s direction in the face. We must not push them aside to complete what we feel is most important.”

Five years later, with two in school and two homeschooling, I’m actively pursuing my writing and still learning to welcome the constant interruptions.

Interruptions are all around us, but if we learn to take a deep breath when they come instead of reacting negatively, God’s divine interventions might be easier to see.

Maybe our work is being interrupted because our priorities have become skewed and it’s the only way for God to get our attention and put the focus back on what truly matters. Maybe our recreation is being interrupted because God doesn’t want us to miss something more important in His big plan. When interruptions come in our faith, perhaps God wants us to push through the distractions of life to focus on Him, or maybe we simply need to attend to our family needs instead of our own.  And sometimes, most times, interruptions are just interruptions and have no spiritual meaning at all. Either way, we can learn from them by embracing the moment and reevaluating our current path.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that many times I fall back into the old “I hate interruptions” mentality. But at least now, when my seven year old climbs up on my lap while I’m at the computer, I finish my thought, push away and smother her in a big hug.