14th December
Weekend, Interrupted
I like quiet starts to my Saturday morning. Because of my various commitments it is the one day in the week I try and make different. I will often make myself a cooked breakfast while listening to a favourite Spotify playlist.
But one Saturday my middle daughter came in and decided to make a kale, cucumber, blueberry with cacao – or whatever-it-is – smoothie. She couldn’t wait, it had to done right that moment.
Now I’ve got to be honest; I was put out. Our blender isn’t quiet, which meant it drowned out my music, but still my daughter continued undaunted in her task. Finally, she finished, smiled and said, ‘Here you go, Dad!’ and slid one of the two glasses over to me.
Meister Eckhart wrote, ‘Finding joy in another person’s happiness is like being in heaven.’ I had discovered this in my daughter’s love for smoothies.
I cannot but confess feelings of both shame and appreciation. I was humbled, but also grateful. It is not what I had planned, but I conceded the smoothie was not unpleasant on the taste buds. In fact, I was up for a refill.
This is often the tension I feel when God interrupts me. I love God and love his ways, but sometimes they seem to be at odds with my own and, let’s face it, at times inconvenient or unwanted. These divine interruptions don’t always feel helpful, yet I know they come full of full of love, but even more that, He loves to bless us with good things.
As the writer of Proverbs say in chapter 10 verse 22, ‘The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.’*
When I taste God’s goodness, wow! Something changes in me. It might not always be what I want but I am learning to take the rough with the smoothie.
*ESV
