See The Goodness: Experiencing God’s Interruptions
God helps us see the goodness.
In a most unexpected way, He interrupted me today.
Sometimes His requests make no sense.
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See The Goodness
I had just purchased the most beautiful yellow roses to take to a friend. It was to be a surprise.
As I walked to my car, with flowers in hand, I found myself thinking about how the great men and women in history let their light shine during the most trying of times.
Then I thought of the elderly man who stopped to visit with me earlier in the day as I held the door open for him. I thought of the way he enthusiastically responded, “I will!” as he hobbled down the sidewalk with the help of his cane when I said, “Have a nice day!”
I thought about the woman leaving the store just as I was entering. She had her arms full of flowers and a cheery smile on her face. She made eye contact with me when she smiled. That’s what I remember most about her–she made eye contact with me.
“We live in a tumultuous world,” I thought to myself, “but today, I’ve seen only goodness.”
Loading my bags into the car, I glanced up and noticed another woman loading groceries into her car. She smiled at me before I looked away.
She smiled at me.
Did she realize the power of her smile?
Did she realize how much hope it gives me to see the goodness of so many people–good people just living their lives the best they can and shining their light through a smile, friendly conversation, momentary eye contact.
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A Surprising Turn of Events
“Give the flowers to her,” came the unmistakable impression.
I stopped what I was doing. “Why her?” I questioned.
She looked healthy, as far as I could tell. I wondered what trials she might be going through to warrant the need for flowers.
Still skeptical, I watched as she returned the shopping cart to the bin and headed to her car.
Finally, relenting to the awkward impression, I nervously made my way to her and said the first thing that came to mind,
“Excuse me, you don’t know me, but I’ve been thinking today about how kind people are. I’ve seen so much kindness today, and you just smiled at me. Thank you for that smile.”
Handing the flowers to her, I continued,
“I bought these flowers for someone else, but I want you to have them as a thank you for being so kind.”
Her face lit up and we stood looking at each other for an awkward moment before she said,
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”.
She then introduced herself and gave me a big hug.
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An Awkward Moment
To be honest, it was an awkward moment for me.
As I said before, sometimes God’s requests make no sense to me.
But as I watched Lisa get into her car, a smile still on her face, a smile that has the potential to brighten the lives and bring the greatness out of countless others, I thought to myself,
“Perhaps God knows what He’s doing after all.”
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Quotes
Inspiring quotes about allowing God to interrupt our lives:
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
“The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination!”
C.S. Lewis
“…what if we choose to look at our unaccomplished or interrupted plans not as failures but as opportunities? What if God is using what we call “failed plans” for His greater purpose?”
Christina Patterson, Allow God’s Purpose To Interrupt Your Plans
“Are we willing to let God change our plans, redirect our steps, and shape our journey?…Let’s be mindful of the divine interruptions in our daily lives. When God redirects our steps, it’s an opportunity to be His hands and feet in a world that desperately needs His love.”
Dean Courtier, Interrupted By God: Embracing Divine Disruptions
“Perhaps interruptions frustrate some of us because we simply have no margin…Consider how Jesus lived. For as full as his schedule was, he was never so booked that he could not linger for a few minutes on the way.”
Scott Hubbard, Plan to Be Interrupted, Slow Love in a Busy World
“Be on the lookout for interruptions. You can’t predict how God is going to act, but you can be certain that God will.”
John Freund, Finding God in Interruptions
“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes — that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens — that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses.”
Charles Spurgeon, God’s Providence
