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I’ve treated many of the life changes in the course of our time as a family as interruptions. Job changes, moves – each has been a blessing, but I regret to say, at the actual time of each interruption, I treated them more as the world treats interruptions – annoyed, flustered, not thrilled.
I greatly enjoyed reading 7 by Jen Hatmaker, but it did ruffle my inner feathers a bit. I know that was her intention. Or His intention, actually. And when I saw the title of her book, Interrupted, I’ll admit that it got all up in my business…before I even read it.
Who wants to be interrupted? Interruptions mess with our current plan, the flow we’re in, our vision for life. Notice how I did not mention God in that previous sentence at all? Interruptions usually frustrate us because they aren’t part of the plan as we see it.
It’s been a struggle for me to see God in the interruptions as they happen. I pout and complain and lament the fact that I was comfortable and happy with the way things were. But I’ve learned God doesn’t want me to be comfortable. And I’m learning to see Him at work, even blessing me, through a change in plans I didn’t see coming.
“It dawned on me that Jesus was asking me not to do more of the same but to engage a different charge altogether.” (p. 18)
God had already begun the process of interrupting my life right now before I started reading Interrupted, but the book has definitely been a catalyst for rethinking the way He keeps us on our toes. I really thought one thing was the “next thing,” but He took that plan, shook it up, and something entirely different came out.
“The problem with Christian segregation is that God asked us to be on mission with Him, sent us to some group of people somewhere, and wants us to minister to them in a way that meets their needs by speaking their language.” (p. 202)
He has asked me to serve + minister to a certain people group. It looks nothing like Jen’s calling. But it is still uncomfortable for me to step out fully into this mission. I need Him to take on this interruption. He wants us to NEED Him to fulfill our calling.
Interrupted is actually the prequel to 7, which I read first. Jen has a way of tackling really hard, really important subjects with equal parts honesty, grace, and humor. The humor makes it all a little easier to swallow. Without it, I may have found her books too heavy, but as they stand, I have learned so much about loving Jesus and loving the world through Jen’s words.
And now I’ve learned how important interruptions are in my life. Interruptions are actually blessings because they are God showing me He loves me and has a specific plan for me He doesn’t want me to miss. I just need to be interrupted to see it.
I would love to hear about a blessed interruption in your life! Leave a comment telling me one and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Interrupted! Giveaway will close Wednesday August 20th at 9PM CST!
P.S. Have you been watching the Hatmakers on My Big Family Renovation on HGTV?! It is THE. BEST. New episodes: Thursdays, 10PM CST. Catch the reruns if you’re not caught up – trust me.
I'm Erin, a wife, boy mom x 3, writer, and runner in Nebraska! I'm excited to share all my favorites relating to faith, family, fashion, and fitness in this space! Enjoy! 
I have a copy of 7 on my Kindle that I really need to read! I usually think of interruptions as those little things throughout the day. I struggle to find the balance between patience with the 15th person that is at my door before 9AM on a day when I didn’t want to see anyone, and setting some appropriate boundaries. One Saturday morning, a friend who lives close by dropped in for no reason. I really just wanted a quiet morning with no company! We ended up cooking something together (now I don’t even remember what!). It was a good chance for us to talk a little and just hang out. Now I see her frequently. 🙂 I’m glad she made the effort to invest time in our relationship.
my interruptions come in the form of a little people interrupting my carefully planned out day! they just want to help or play or show me something…and when i accept those interruptions with grace, it always brings a smile to everyone involved!
To be honest, interruptions are happening a lot and are difficult to swallow in my life these days…God in His mercy is gently continuing to remind me that interruptions are also a sign that God is in charge. That the whole earth is subject to His Lordship and that nothing, not even one interruption, happens without going through God first. We are His followers and as such we will be taken care of at all times and through all circumstances. So while interruptions are sometimes unwelcome and maybe even painful, they are also a result of being a blessed child of God who is always in the palm of His hand 🙂
This is on my list to read. I too was challenged by what Jen had to say in 7. As far as interruptions, it might sound odd but I’ll say that our 3rd child was an interruption. He was not expected in the least and we were quite happy with our two girls. Now though, we can’t imagine life with out him. He is a joy and makes my heart swell. God knew we needed him.
We had a honeymoon baby. Totally an interruption but the best kind I could imagine.
I was interrupted by my husband phasing out of his job and being home almost full-time! We’ve had some great opportunities to help on disaster relief, etc. Looking forward to seeing the expanded book – read the original several years ago now.
Friday, we were at the grocery store, ready to head to my parents’ house. We like to take back highways vs the Interstate to check out the beauty of Kansas and Nebraska. There was a lady that was on the old highway here in town, pulling a suitcase and she had a backpack. Obviously hitchhiking. I pulled out a granola bar and banana (which was part of our breakfast) and went to give it to her, thinking that was my good deed for the day. She asked if we were headed north and I told her I didn’t know, because I didn’t. I went back to our van to feed the kids and I felt God tugging at me, so when my husband came out of the store, I asked if we could give her a ride. I figured it wasn’t the way he wanted to go (he didn’t) but he didn’t hesitate and said sure. So we ended up taking her even further than we thought at first, but I know my husband has a great heart; he was ready to drive her all the way home (about 2 hours out of our way) but she had another ride meeting her supposedly. We didn’t make good time on the way out and ended up taking the Interstate to make up some of that time, but I’m so thankful we did. I hope someone will help me out if ever I need to hitchhike.
God interrupted my plans for having kids at a certain time. It stirred my heart for adoption but then He let me get pregnant. His plans are higher and greater than mine, and I’m grateful to be following a God who knows all.
God interrupted my plans at the age of 17 when I became pregnant. Nothing could have prepared me for that but God was always by my side even though at times I didn’t realize it.
We became foster parents, the plan was younger children & then God prompted us & we said yes to a teen mom. To be honest most days aren’t so blessed, they’re hard and I am forced to lean on God and then I see it, the blessing is in that, relying on Him.
Our entire marriage has been nothing but interruptions (really just His plan coming out in a way that we never thought possible). Aside from the daily interruptions happening by our three beautiful boys a couple of years ago my husband got a job in the tiniest town in Montana so far from everything. The nearest CLEAN hospital was over two hours away and as a mama to a little man with severe asthma/allergies it was terrifying. Learning to lean on God in a way that I never had to before was refreshing. We now live in Wyoming and are only ONE hour away from a good hospital (there is a county hospital about ten minutes away but I’ve been told by several people not to go there…) but God is still interrupting our lives regularly! It’s hard not to laugh about it, in between the crying and praying…sometimes asking why! Being a full time student, stay at home mama and wife to a wonderful man (he teaches third grade) no two days are the same!
You know, I keep hearing about this book, but it wasn’t until reading what you had to say about it that I had my mind changed about reading it. So thank you for sharing! I seem to be ok with big interruptions in life since I am more able to see how God could be using them. It’s the little, daily, annoying, niggling things that happen that I allow too often to throw me for a loop. But for the grace of God – he is teaching and I am learning to respond. The best interruption in life would be our 4 kids, hands down 😀
I am almost done reading Radical by David Platt and it is really challenging me to redefine the way I look at my comfortable Christian life. It seems like Jen’s new book may have some similar and practical ideas about how to live out our Christian faith. My big interruption happened via some health issues. I would have never signed up for it but God has used it to refine me in so many ways. And he has used it to soften my heart in areas that were closed. Mainly it has shown me that my weakness can be a platform for God to demonstrate his strength.
My interruptions-His Glory.
Feeling interrupted as we enter empty nest season of our marriage. God keeps asking me what I’m going to do with all this new time. Searching for the answers.
My biggest interruption was moving from Texas to Montana. New friends, new schools, search for a new church ( took 2 years!) and going from a huge town to a small town. Now, I wouldn’t have changed the interruption for the world, but in the midst of my interruption it was hard. It did pull our family into the tight unit we need to be and we definitely had to rely on God and not ourselves.
Ashley, where in Montana do you live?? We lived in Jordan (NE) and now live in northern Wyoming…not from a big town but definitely living in small towns now!
My blessed interruption is my youngest child. He came several years later than my others (all girls) and being a boy, he has turned my world wonderfully upside down. I thought I was settling into parenting older girls but the Lord clearly had other amazing plans in mind.