Advent Reflection: How to Handle Interruptions

...they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:16

This time of year there’s a lot to be excited about. Especially if you’re a working mom like me, it’s easy to fill up your time with holiday preparations, decorations, family traditions, office parties, church events, and shopping trips.

We’re all running on instinct at this point (well, instinct and maybe coffee), just trying to get everything done according to plan. What happens when those plans get disrupted? Chaos. Frustration. Eating too much key lime pie for consolation. And that’s just what happens when something interferes with some little holiday plans and not the bigger expectations we have for our lives, like where our careers are going or whether other people like and respect us.

As I read through Luke 2:1-20, I’m struck the most by the character of Mary and how, over and over again, she trusted God, even though it must have gone against her own instincts and plans. Like me, Mary had lots of things on her mind. Unlike me, she wasn’t worried about decorations, gifts, or parties. She spent her “holiday season” pregnant, on the back of a donkey, traveling seventy miles through the Israeli desert. It must have required such grit to travel that distance simply to fulfill a tax obligation! Over those last few miles she and Joseph longed for the relative comfort of the inn, only to find the only place available was little more than a hollowed-out cave.

Anyone who knows or has witnessed the trials of becoming a new mom understands how difficult this would be. As if that weren’t enough, strange men, from shepherds to kings, kept showing up to marvel at her new baby!

Verse 18 tells us after the shepherds saw Jesus, they shared their incredible story about Jesus and the angels, and all who heard it were “amazed.” In verse 19, we see that Mary, in contrast, “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What a testament to Mary’s straightforward trust in God’s sovereignty.

While others who heard the story were amazed and excited, Mary turned deeply contemplative. Whatever Mary’s original plan for her life had been, it almost certainly didn’t involve all this. And yet Mary treasures and ponders each new burden and miracle alike, subjecting all of her instincts, desires, and expectations to God’s will.

That is my goal for this Christmas season—to take time to appreciate the journey God has sent me on and to treasure and ponder the gifts he has given me. I think I’m only beginning to understand just how valuable they truly are.



QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does it mean to ponder something in your heart, as Mary did here? What does Mary’s response reveal about her character and her relationship with God? God’s greatest blessing to humanity involved great personal burdens for Mary; how has God worked through trials in your life?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for all the times you step in and disrupt my plans. Thank you for plans which are better than mine and outcomes I could never imagine. Help me to be more patient with interruptions, especially during this busy holiday season. Give me the wisdom to ponder in my heart all the beautiful interruptions you send my way. Amen.

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P.S. from Mark: Diane Paddison is author of "Work, Love, Pray" and founder of 4word Women, where you can read her full bio. She currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of Cassidy Turley and has worked on executive teams for two Fortune 500 companies throughout her career. Diane is married to Chris Paddison and they have four children.

Image courtesy of Laity Lodge Youth Camp, one of our sister programs in the Foundations for Laity Renewal.