on interruption

Who is God asking you to love?

The slow rhythm of Jesus' life was syncopated with interruption, characterized by open eyes as he lifted the heavy burdens, physically and emotionally, off of aching people who hoped he would make them well. Jesus' days were made up of nearly exclusively unforeseen encounters with people asking to be made whole—asking to be seen. Every time, Jesus stopped, and fully turned his attention towards the person seeking his care.

I am reminded of Jesus' story in the book of Luke about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus, covered in sores, lays at the gate of the rich man, longing for any food the rich man can spare. It is implied that the rich man, noticeably nameless in this story, steps over Lazarus every day in order to leave his home, and does not fulfill Lazarus' desire to be taken care of. Eventually, both Lazarus and the rich man die, Lazarus carried by angels into heaven and the rich man to "the place of the dead." He begs Father Abraham to allow him a cool drink, and to warn his brothers of their impending doom, but Abraham refuses. "If they won't listen to Moses, they won't be persuaded," he says. "Even if someone rises from the dead." 

I wonder, who is the Lazarus in our lives? Who is laying across our threshold that we step over every day? What people do we consider inconvenient, frustrating, needy, or irresponsible, that we would rather ignore than love? What has happened in the core of our heart that makes us so resistant to being interrupted? What do we miss in the interruptions of our life that we rush past, over, or around? Where has the lie of scarcity slipped into our rule of life, scarcity of time, money, energy, and love? 

In the kingdom of God, there is more than enough. Into our cracked souls, God sings a melody of abundance, reminding us that we are loved entirely. God fills us with so much love that it runs over and pours onto our lap, and consequently, onto those around us. Only when we are secure in the people God has made us to be can we release our grip of control, living a life in the way of Jesus, a life that makes space for interruption. 

It may be that God is there already, waiting for us to stop.