"And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment".
Mark 5:25-27 (KJV)
Have you ever been in the middle of a "very important" day, racing toward a deadline or a goal, and felt a surge of frustration when someone interrupted you? Maybe a call from your friend asking for help or an office colleague or may the doorman of your building or just someone in the crowd? How do we respond? Do we consider them to be a "nuisance" interrupting our "important work"?
It is so easy to see people as "nuisances" that slow us down when we are on a mission.
Our "Christianity" is often seen in our response to situations rather than our planned acts of worship.
In this story, Jesus was actually on His way to a "high-stakes emergency"—the daughter of a powerful leader was dying. He had every reason to push through the crowd and ignore the tug on His robe. But He stopped. He paused the "big" miracle to acknowledge a woman who had been invisible and suffering for twelve years.
For Jesus, the interruption wasn't a distraction from the work; the interruption was the work. He cared more about the one person reaching out in faith than the schedule the world expected Him to keep.
Friends, the people who "get in your way" today or this week might actually be divine appointments sent by the Father. Do not allow your "to-do list" to become more valuable to you than the people it is meant to serve.
Arrow Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to use the "pause button" to serve you by serving others, because that is critical to me, as compared to all my other important work. Amen
