Life Interrupted

As a parent, I think one of the toughest lessons to teach your child is not to interrupt a conversation when people are talking. It was hard with all three of my children, but especially so with Bradley. In frustration one day when he interrupted my two neighbors who were talking, I finally said, "Brad, unless it's an emergency, you don't interrupt. Do you understand me?" He nodded his little head, and promptly said to my neighbors, "911, 911, emergency ... Cody and Emily are kissing on the driveway!" Granted, I suppose in the eyes of a little boy, two college kids kissing could have been seen as a true emergency worthy of interrupting their mothers' conversation. Tattling on everyone, however, also earned Bradley the nickname of Tattles, but that's another story for another blog.

Conversation interruptions are easily dealt with, even if it takes some time and patience. Life interruptions, however, are a whole different ball game. Some life interruptions are happy ones, like weddings or babies or new friendships or traveling. Interruptions, yes, but ones that we welcome and embrace and enjoy. But sometimes ... maybe more often than we like ... there are life interruptions that cause us great pain and sorrow, like the death of a loved one or the loss of a job or a life-threatening illness or a broken relationship. Those kinds of interruptions are devastating and often rob us of our happiness or joy.

I suppose I've always viewed those rough life interruptions as things that I just had to get through; in fact, I've always felt that I had to be strong in times of crisis ... for my mom when my dad was battling Alzheimer's, for my children after my divorce, for my friends when their lives were falling apart. As a speaker, I've even felt that I had to be strong for all the women I've met in the groups where I've spoken.

Last night and today, I attended a women's conference at my church ... a conference where the basic message concerned the interruptions that come our way in life. The speaker based her comments around Jonah ... you remember him ... the guy that disobeyed God and ended up in the belly of a fish for a few days. She encouraged us to view the major interruptions in our lives as divine interventions ... and that if God brings us to it, He will bring us through it. She talked a lot today about second chances and about how when we feel that God can never use us again, He may have something that we can't even begin to imagine waiting for us just around the corner.

I'm in the middle of the biggest life interruption I've ever experienced, and it's hard for me to keep my head above the swirling water that surrounds me. There are times when I feel as if I'm drowning ... my arms and legs are weary from treading water and trying to stay afloat. I sobbed my heart out as I listened to the speaker this weekend, and I know that God had me there for a reason. He wanted me to hear that message ... He wants me to know that He is still a God of miracles ... He wants me to believe in second chances ... He wants me to trust that He has brought me to this place, and that He will bring me through this place.

God, You know that I am tired ... You know that I am weaker than I've ever been ... You know how dark and cold and lonely this place is ... You know that my spirit isn't just broken, Lord, it's crushed and feels unmendable ... You know me, Father God, You know me.