Interruptions

I honestly don't know what I would do without the constant accountability that hems me in through Bible study.

I wish I could tell you that I am" super spiritual" and that I dive into the Word every morning like clock work BUT that would be a BIG FAT LIE. I love God's Word and I thoroughly enjoy learning and applying it but sometimes I just don't know where to go.

The truth is....staying in Bible study helps me do that in a huge way. Our church has a Thursday morning group that I have made my home. These ladies are so vastly different yet so fiercely concerned with growing in the Lord. I started attending this group about 7 years ago and I have never stopped. One of the reasons that I continue to teach (or lead) these studies is because I have to stand up in front of these women and be ready to present what God is doing in my life. So that also means that I have to be prayed up, repentant, yield to the Holy Spirit, and PREPARED!

Well, this spring we have started a new study.....and I am not leading it. I get to sit back and soak it in!

I am getting to sit at someone else's feet. It happens to be someone that I trust completely and love as my own sister. "D" as I call her (short for Deana) hates to be the center of attention. However, the spiritual depth and insight that she possesses is inspiring and even a bit intimidating. So glad she is one of my best friends so that I can claim some of her spirituality by proximity:)

Anyway, she kicked us off last week with a new study by Priscilla Shirer. It is on "Jonah". The video was so incredibly good and it certainly wet my appetite for what's to come. The home work has done it's job......it has gotten this lazy girl into the Word on a more consistent basis.

The overall theme of this study is learning how deal with interruptions to our lives that are allowed and planned by Almighty God.

Jonah was a prophet who heard from God then reported the message.
This was his life.
This was the plan.
Then God threw him a curve ball.

Have you had any curve balls lately?

I feel like interruptions are becoming "the norm" for my life.

NOTHING in my life is how I thought it would be at this point....except that maybe my marriage is way better than I thought.

EVERYTHING else.....children, finances, friends, extended family, and just life in general is a constant state of change.

Take this week: Zeke got diagnosed with strep throat on Sunday at the Publix clinic. Oops...they didn't take our insurance. Nice expense we weren't planning on. On Monday Zeke starts getting a swollen lump on his jaw line that concerns the doctor. Meanwhile my throat is getting hoarse and very scratchy and oh yea.....I've got 2 solo songs to sing this Friday night.

INTERRUPTIONS!

sickness
meetings
unexpected expenses
troubling thoughts

Now I get it that these are smallish things (by the way...Zeke is fine) but still they are NOT what I would have planned. These things are getting in the way of my desired plans.

Well, that is exactly the problem.

I view my life as MY life. But that isn't true. My life belongs to God and my chief responsibility is to obey Him.

Priscilla explains our role as Christians by describing the occupation of someone who is a personal assistant. The parallel to the Christian walk is easy to identify and it clearly spoke to me.

"I recently met a young woman who works as a personal assistant to one of the most powerful people in the country. She was delighted when she was offered this coveted job working alongside this highly respected and busy individual. The moment she signed on to be an assistant, she was told that during her working hours she needed to be on call. This meant that at any moment her boss may call her to assist him and she would need to drop anything she was doing-even if she was working on another assignment at the time. While adjusting to fit this schedule was difficult at first, she quickly became used to it and organized her life appropriately.
Now she is constantly waiting on a call from her boss. She makes sure that all of her communication devices are powered up, activated, and just a hand's reach away so that she can be ready to receive instruction. While she does make personal plans during working hours, she holds them loosely. She is fully aware that her primary responsibility is to be ready to manage that which her boss assigns.
I asked her if she felt overwhelmed or disgusted having to change her personal plans. She shook her head and replied, 'No way. It's an honor to have this job. And,' he added, 'he's a nice guy. While everything he asks for is not always convenient, he's very considerate. I want to do a good job.'"

-from Jonah pg. 14 by Priscilla Shirer


This was spoken from someone who loved their job and their boss.

How much more should I love and joyfully serve the ONE who saved me, suffered for me, sustains me, sacrificed for me, and satisfies my soul???????

If I trust that He has my life in His hands then He is holding the interruptions too!

Galatians 2:20 "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."