Interrupted?

"Life," someone said, "is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." Oh, it was Lennon.

But what I really wanted to tell you about was this fabulous word from Newbigin, from The Light Has Come:

Jesus had no program of his own. He planned no career for himself… He simply responded in loving obedience to the will of his Father as it was presented to him in all the accidents, contingencies, and interruptions of daily life, among all the personal and public ambitions and fears and jealousies of that little province of the Roman empire. (200)

I happened upon this in Responding to our Call, volume 4 of the Companions in Christ series [buy].

The point, of course, is that if we want to follow Jesus, we are also to imitate him in this aspect of his life. Newbigin continues:

So the disciple… will not be concerned to create a character or career for himself. He will leave that to the wise husbandry of the Gardener, who alone knows what pruning, what watering and feeding, what sunshine or rain, warmth or cold is needed to produce the fruit he desires. (ibid.)

Which reminds me of a "Jews for Jesus" song: And press your life into His hands, That He might drink the wine. [link]

When I tell my story, I mean how I came to follow Jesus, I sometimes say I was driving down the road of life, and Jesus was there at a crossroads, indicating that he'd like to go the way of life with me. The problem was, he wanted to drive.

As it turns out, yielding the steering wheel (and the accelerator and brake) was not something I could do once and then forget about. Daily my plans must be surrendered: "I choose above all else to live this day with you" means that walking with God, responding to interruptions in a way pleasing to him—these things are a higher priority than my plans and dreams.

And so "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth (and in my life) as it is in heaven." Amen.