‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

What is your go-to drink in the mornings? Mine is coffee. The rich aroma and dark, bold taste bring me joy. Upon the discovery that my coffee pot was leaking, I evaluated the situation for several days to see if it was truly broken. This wasn’t just any coffee maker. It brewed drip coffee and espresso. After completing my evaluation I determined it was beyond repair. I was devastated.

Are we broken, yet fixable? We must remain in God so that we can bear His fruit and share His love with others. If we are not connected to the branch, what happens? Like a leaky coffee pot, we can let life drain us of the strength, love, and joy that we have in Christ. Instead of letting our brokenness seep negativity into our daily lives, let’s ask God to mend our cracks so that we can remain fruitful. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for always being there to mend my brokenness. Thank You for the interruptions to remind me that You are the source of my strength, love and joy. Help me intentionally remain in You so that I can bear fruit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

John 10:10 Amplified Bible — The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

According to Merriam-Webster, abundance means an ample quantity. This past week Deborah shared some thoughts on interruptions. In case you missed it, you can watch our “See You Saturday” by clicking the link. I personally experienced an interruption that week with a home invasion of ants. Let’s just say there was an abundance of ants and I was not praising God all day long. Although this interruption was frustrating, I discovered my coffee pot had been leaking, causing water damage to my baseboard. 

Satan wanted me to fail with the abundance of ants, but God had different plans. Satan tried to steal my joy, but God used it for my good. How often do we give in to Satan’s schemes? Next time we feel thwarted, remember that God is overflowing with greater plans for us. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for lessons learned from interruptions. Help me to be on guard and not thwarted by Satan’s schemes. I desire to have an abundant life with Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalm 71:8 NIV — My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long.

Imagine if our mouths were filled with God’s praise all day long. I will be transparent and admit that for the last few months I have let life consume me. As a result, my mouth has not always been filled with praise. I’ve complained and probably sounded ungrateful at times. What can I do to change this? 

I may not always be able to change my situation but I can build healthy boundaries so that my heart and mind can remain joyful. Will you join me in speaking life through God’s word over our situations? 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for my heart and mind. May they be filled with Your word. Thank You for my tongue. May it outpoor with Your glory. Thank You for my actions. May others see You through me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Romans 8:28 NIV — And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Click here to watch today’s See You Saturday post as we wrap up our week on interruptions.

Romans 8:28 NIV — And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

As we finish our week together examining interruptions, perhaps we should look at interruptions by thinking of its synonyms; interval, interlude, break, and pause. Is God giving you an interval, interlude, break or pause? How do you respond to interruptions? What can you resolve to change so you are able to let God work in and through your interruptions? How can you respond positively to daily interruptions? Will you allow God to change your perspective? By doing so you may receive your biggest blessings and God may use you to be a blessing to others.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Help me to respond positively when I am interrupted. May I embrace the interval, interlude, break or pause and may I glorify You in my response. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Habakkuk 2:3 NIV — For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

Interruptions are an inevitable part of life and sometimes an interruption is a delay. Over the summer break of 2019, I spent my time off from school decluttering our home and preparing it to be listed to sell. After lots of focused work and repairs, we listed our home in early August with high expectations of it selling quickly. The timing of our listing was against us and so began our months of delay.

Housekeeping has always been an area of weakness for me. I have always struggled to balance being a wife, mother, teacher, active church member, etc. along with keeping the house tidy. I have often prayed for God to lead me to be a better housekeeper. Therefore, during the time of our house being on the market, I was stretched and challenged as we had to constantly have our home show ready. As it turned out, our home was on the market for nearly a year before it sold. The interruption, in the form of a delay, proved to be a time of me practicing my skills of keeping a tidy house and in turn ingrained in me lifelong habits.

Are you in a season of delay? What life lessons can you learn during this interruption? Can you be thankful for your delay?

Let’s pray. Dear God, open my eyes to the lessons You are teaching me in my delays. Thank you for Your presence in the interruptions. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Romans 11:33 MSG — Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.

The story I shared yesterday occurred several years ago on the day we were scheduled to return to school after Christmas break. However, school had been canceled due to predicted inclement weather. As predicted we got snow, which is very unusual for the coastal area where we live. While I could have become frustrated at the thought of my original plans for the week being interrupted, I decided to begin my hospitality goal by inviting some young adult neighbors who are like family to us to have supper with us that evening. They came over earlier in the day and played in the snow with my children. At dinner that evening we shared not only food but lots of stories and laughs. We even made snow cream! The next day they came over and we spent the morning talking, watching TV and then playing outside together again. We even made our very own version of a coastal snowman. If I had been grumpy for being stuck in the snow I would have missed out on special memory making with these special young adults. More proof that interruptions can be our biggest blessings.

Are you altering your attitude toward interruptions? Are you allowing God to show you His blessings in the middle of a disruption to your plans?

Let’s pray. Dear God, open my eyes to the blessings within the disruptions to my plans. Thank You for using a pause to bring me blessings. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.