A card I received the year my son battled leukemia says, “Life has a way of making quick turns…without using its turn signal.” That was certainly the case that year, but it’s not the only time in my life when circumstances turned me in a new direction.
The first was when I was making plans to get my early childhood education degree. Due to a registration fee that was a day late, I was removed from the enrollment list. Initially, I was devastated, but the Lord used that closed door to lead me to Bible college. I just had to get my head around the disruption and redirect my thoughts to coincide with the new direction. As it turned out, I met the love of my life, David. Interestingly, he had also been on another path when the Lord stepped in his way and changed his course. Before he knew it, he was heading to Bible college where he met me! Little did either of us know how the Lord was reorienting both of our lives into full-time pastoral ministry.
How different would my life be now if I had gone ahead with my original plan? How would your life be different? Where would you be if God hadn’t interrupted your regularly scheduled program with a news flash?
I find the Lord reminding me these days that what’s most important is how we approach those times in our lives when circumstances catch us off guard. How do you respond when a job is terminated, an illness strikes, a relocation is in the forecast, a tragedy takes place, or a relationship is lost? If your experience is anything like mine, a sudden shift in plans can turn a great day into doomsday in a hurry. Disruptions create anxiety, trigger depression, cause us to question, doubt, fear, and wonder if we’re on the right track at all!
If we’re following the life of Jesus, then there’s a whole new way of looking at life. The fact is, Jesus’ life and ministry were full of disruptions. Think about the times when He was heading somewhere, but someone stepped onto His path and re-arranged His schedule. Suddenly, He was healing a hemorrhaging woman, or delaying His arrival to save the life of a young girl (Luke 8). He had plans to spend a leisurely morning with His heavenly Father when His disciples interrupted Him, beckoning Him to the waiting crowd.
Perspective is everything. We can look at the quick turns on our road of life as annoying interruptions, or we can see them as divine disruptions—strategic times when God puts a “holy hold” on our predetermined plans. When we can see them as a blessing rather than a curse, it changes everything.
Here are 11 “notes to self” that I often remind myself of when these divine disruptions hit:
1. Accept that Your Plan “B” was Always God’s Plan “A.”
God’s redirection in your life is always for your good. He never takes something away to leave you empty-handed, but rather to fill you with His plan and purpose according to His good and perfect will.
2. Find a Rhythm.
The Creator of the Universe turned chaos into cosmos. His master design is one of order, and order necessitates rhythm. Think about it; seasons unfold in sequence: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Ecclesiastes 1:5 tells us that “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.” The Lord created our bodies with rhythm. Walking, talking, breathing, sleeping, blinking, and swallowing is synchronized, balanced, and steady.
3. Take Your Time.
It takes time to get into a rhythm. Disruptions give us cause to pause, recalibrate, and rethink before we commit to something on a rebound or an impulse. Remember, it’s always easier to get into something than out of it.
4. Relax and Release.
In other words, trust that the Lord is in control. Then, entrust whatever it is you need to entrust to Him. What are you holding onto that you need to release into His care?
5. Let it Happen.
Don’t go obsessively searching for the next thing—be it a relationship, a friendship, a job—rather, let it happen. Sometimes, the thing that God wants us to pay attention to is right in front of us.
6. Do Something!
Don’t procrastinate any longer. Oftentimes our “to do” list is our greatest enemy. It becomes overwhelming and paralyzing. Remember, you don’t have to conquer everything in a day, but do something—I would suggest something conquerable.
7. Give Yourself Permission.
It takes time to recover from significant disruptions in our lives. You’re going to have days when you wonder if you’ll ever recover. Cut yourself some slack! Be good to yourself. Take a nap, have an extra cup of coffee in the morning, soak yourself in a bubble bath—whatever it is that will bring healing to your body, mind, and soul.
8. Know Your Boundaries.
You must listen to your body, or your body will make you listen. Disruptions can create all kinds of physical ailments if we allow the stress of it all get to us (ulcers, headaches, back pain, nausea).
9. Go for a Walk.
There’s nothing like the fresh outdoors to help us process things that get muddled in our minds. Don’t rush. We miss out on a lot of things when our focus is on the disruption rather than the natural healing agent the Lord has gifted us with in His own creation. Open your senses; listen for all the sounds around you. Take close note of your surroundings. Take time to touch a leaf or pet a passing dog.
10. Enter In.
If your disruption has led you into unfamiliar territory, don’t play the victim card. If you have to, fake it ’til you make it. Do it scared! Look confident—whether you feel it or not. Find a support group or join a community of believers you feel comfortable in. Invite yourself into someone else’s world. Most times you’ll find others feel just as much an outsider as you and often dealing with disruptions of their own!
11. Breathe!
Breathe in. Breathe out. (Repeat)
