Re: Verse reading–Acts 3:1-20  (day six)
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. Acts 3:1
I imagine going to the Temple to pray was a matter of meaningful routine. They found themselves there often, along with many new believers. They continued in their Jewish temple traditions in a renewed and refreshing way, in the power of the Spirit. They did not go to the temple to be accosted by a man lame from birth, and yet they were.
“Look at us.” Peter said. Amazing. He did not look the other way to avoid an awkward moment or inconvenience, or hope that the lame man would move on to someone else. No, he said, “Look at us.” Peter and John entered into interruption, and a man was healed, and no less significant, others heard the good news of Jesus.
They went to the temple for meaningful prayer and ended up with a meaningful interruption. Your interruptions can be just as meaningful. Don’t miss them.
Great topic for discussion for the day. Changes and interruptions are inevitable. Interruptions are part of life. Your daily work schedule is set but emerging matters require your attention and intervention; and as a result, your planned schedule for that day has to change. I call it modified work schedule.
You all probably deal with modified work plan on a daily basis. Some unplanned actions become planned actions and they are added to your schedule for immediate actions due to leadership changes or changes in policy, Congressional, or management directions. For those who are in the workforce and have a job description, you may be asked to perform some infrequent tasks which are not listed in your job description but they are in the area of your duties and responsibilities and are classified for pay purpose. These interuptions are part of your organizational life. For those of you in the leadership positions, your day will be full of disruptions and interruptions; and for those leaders with an “open door” communication policy, disruptions and interruptions become a normal work day and a routine for you. You are paid for those interuptions. For some others, interruptions and disruptions can be very frustrating as they cannot accomplish what they are planning to do or are required to do. For some, flexibility or change is not something they can master naturally; and as a result, change and interuptions lead to their emotional disturbances and anxiety!
I bet none of us will rarely stay on our planned schedule for a particular day regardless if one is in the workforce or not. Everyone has things to do in a day whether they are essential or not. Interuptions can be created by us or by someone else; but above all, interuptions are created by God to strengthen our character and to test our faith and our obedience to God.
How many of you have a “To-do-list”, or “Must-do-list”? I do. With so many interruptions and disruptions from all directions, these lists help me stay on track of priorities and overall accomplishment of my assigned duties and responsibilities.
Interuptions are designed by God and are part of God’s plan for us. Life is a journey. A journey is rarely straightforward. There will be bumps and setbacks along the way. There will be happiness, sadness and sufferings. There will be plenty of surprises and shocks.
No one has been able to escape from barriers and sufferings in life. God created interuptions to prepare us to deal with life and work challenges as part of His plan for mankind. To help employees deal with emotional challenges and performance issues due to interuptions and disruptions, most organizations provide training courses, such as, Time Management, How To Manage Priorities, Change Management, Conflict Management, and so on.
You know one’s character through observing how he or she manages interuptions. Life will be pretty boring, in my view, if routine is all you have. Interuptions help us grow. Without interuptions, there will be no opportunities for personal and professional growth.
If God gave us many interuptions, He has already equipped us with the leadership, the organization and management, and the people skills. Do not miss any opportunities to demonstrate God’s given spiritual skills. You will be surprised how well you are prepared to tackle these intended interuptions just like the Apostles Peter and John did.
How do you handle interuptions? Do you get mad why they are given to you? Do you get excited to have the opportunity to “show off” your spiritual skills? How do you view life or work challenges?