Obstructions or Opportunities
by Alison Scarborough
With all my office colleagues on a day off I was really looking forward to a lovely quiet day at work. Please don’t misunderstand me. I love working with the team, but it’s just great sometimes to have a quieter day. I thought I’d be able to take my time to think, pray and plan my work carefully in the peace and quiet, with the hum of just one computer and only my fingers tapping gently on the keyboard. I had much to achieve and had made my plan of how it would all be done.
But, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, the quiet didn’t last long. The phone started ringing and never seemed to stop. Emails kept pinging their presence on the computer screen. The knock on the door was repeated again and again. And then from outside came the screeching sound of someone grinding metal. It’s a sound which goes right through you, setting you on edge, and for me it was the final straw. I sat at the desk and in pure frustration called out to Jesus, “How did You do it? How did You manage all the demands and interruptions and not get knocked off Your plan?”
Immediately I was reminded of the time when Jesus was on His way to heal the daughter of Jairus but was surrounded by a huge crowd of people, and one lady in particular reached out to Him for healing. Jesus, of course, stopped and made time for this lady. In the meantime a report came that Jairus’ daughter had died. But Jesus went on to raise her from the dead (Luke 8:40-56). I felt lovingly challenged by the Lord.
It’s so easy to see interruptions as obstructions to our own plans and agenda, but Jesus, who was on a mission, saw the interruption as an opportunity to bring life, restoration, dignity, worth and value to someone. And even then, because His mission was one His Father had directed Him to do, He also accomplished that.
It took the screeching of an angle grinder to make me call on Jesus, and to let me see interruptions as opportunities and not obstructions (opportunities for Jesus to be at work in so much more than I could have planned for the day).
It’s challenging being a Christian, isn’t it? But it’s worth it when we start to see things from Jesus’ perspective.
Prayer: Father God, I’m sorry that in my busyness I’ve felt frustrated by interruptions to my plans. I’ve held wrong heart attitudes towards people and situations when they seem to get in my way. Jesus, I long to be a ‘life spreader’, to see You work in me with the people You put around me, safe in the knowledge that You’ll also help me complete the things You’ve prepared for me to do. Amen.
Alison Scarborough has been part of the Ellel Ministries Team since 1997 having completed the `Nine Week School` in 1996. She has worked at Glyndley Manor, near Eastbourne, since joining team and is currently Deputy Director and one of the teachers there. She has travelled to share in teaching at some of Ellel`s other European Centres and enjoyed significant time with the Ellel Ireland team. Before joining Ellel Alison was a nurse and midwife who was especially interested in neuro-intensive care and infectious diseases.
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