In the last 24 hours I have been faced with two interruptions.
Interruption the first
My wife Valerie was away for the weekend at the dam in Theewaterskloof for some much needed rest and reflection. I got to stay at home for my own version of that, which probably involved a lot more board game playing, cricket watching, connection with people, and snack appreciation.
This afternoon, I was at a friend’s 21st celebration and we’d just heard the speeches when my phone started flashing. Well, actually during the speeches it flashed three times showing an incoming call from Val, but I was trapped in the back corner of the restaurant with speeches happening in front of me so it had to wait till they were done. When I got a moment I went outside and took the call to find that Val had broken down in Grabouw and needed rescuing.
Fortunately my dad has sweet mechanic skills and an old school diesel Merc and so I left the party and we drove through to pick her up and tow her home.
Afternoon plans changed.
Interruption the second
Tomorrow morning UCT is opening its doors to students again.
The Fees Must Fall movement are not so happy about this as it feels completely in opposition to the conversations and changes they are calling for.
Some friends of mine are part of a group of people called Peace Witnesses that are planning to head to the University to look to be people of peace in the midst of what might be quite a volatile situation.
That wasn’t the initial plan I had for tomorrow. Mondays tend to be a busy writing day for me as I have articles, blog posts and a phonetically titled “Thort for the Week” that need to be written. So Mondays tend to be nose-to-the-grindstone focused-work days for me.
But at the same time, this is a particularly significant time in the country and a lot of the university protests have not ended well and so that feels like something I should be present at, especially with all the writing and commenting I’ve been doing on race and poverty vibes in South Africa.
Learning from a pro
In a world of potentially distracting social media, being open to every single opportunity to change your plans in the moment is probably not a wise thing.
But there definitely should be exceptions.
If I had said to Val, “Sorry love, I had actually planned to be at this party and then I was going home to try catch the end of the cricket, please sort yourself out”, that may not have gone down so well.
I am reminded of a story concerning Jesus, who has been asked by a Jewish leader named Jairus to go to his house because his daughter was very sick. On the way there, there is an incident where a woman who had been struggling with sickness for many years reaches out to touch Jesus’ cloak and is immediately healed.
Jesus could have carried on (she was already healed) but instead He chooses to stop and give the woman some attention and use the moment to teach the crowds. As a result, the daughter of Jairus actually dies, but then Jesus performs a miracle and brings her back from the dead.
We actually see this in the life of Jesus often, where He would be heading in one direction and someone would interrupt and He would allow and often actually invite the interruption.
For me it’s about making plans and having schedules, but being open to the important interruptions that may happen along the way. In another popular Jesus story, one He tells of a man beaten up and left for dead (commonly known as The Parable of the Good Samaritan) we are introduced to two religious leaders who don’t make space for the interruption and end up ignoring the man who desperately needs them. Yet the Samaritan interrupts his plans to do something that he now sees as better.
Whose interruption is it anyway?
My invitation to you is to be alert to significant opportunities that may head your way this week in the form of interruptions. Don’t be so stuck to the task at hand or the deadlines in front of you, that you potentially miss something better or more important that may be needing someone like you to step in.