Interrupt-driven
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” –Luke 10:38-40 (NIV)
I hate to be late. If I agree to meet you somewhere for some purpose at a particular time and I fail to show up or I arrive so late that the purpose of the meeting is rendered null and void, I will feel I have demonstrated an egregious lack of respect. To do that with no acknowledgment that I am late, no explanation as to why, and no adjusted arrival time is inexcusable.
If we’re attending the same function and we’re going together and you make me late, I will count that as a serious offence. If I’m working on something with a deadline and you interrupt me, I will be cordial, but you can bet I’m not happy. I have a friend from Nepal who recently explained to me that this is a distinctly Western mindset.
Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia. You’ll find China to the north, India to the south. My friend is a dedicated Christian and we were discussing the seeming ease with which he forms friendships with people from his part of the world. A surprising number of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Burma reside in our region, and he maintains a strong network among them.
While Christianity is present in South Asia, it is certainly not the prominent belief system. But my friend finds himself in spiritual conversations fairly often. Most of them eventually lead to an introduction to Jesus, and some result in lives that are turned over to the lordship of Christ. I want to have more of those conversations, so I asked him if he had any advice for me. He did.
Where he comes from, people value relationships over tasks and schedules. When building friendships, he looks for people who need a friend. Maybe they’re new to the area, or maybe they’re going through a difficult time. Though he enters into such friendships hoping to be able to share the hope he has in Jesus, he doesn’t bring that as an agenda. He sows, he waters; the harvest belongs to God.
He just hangs out, enjoys good food, has conversations on a variety of topics, and listens. What is he listening for? Any prompting he may get from the Spirit that this might be a good spot to mix in some Jesus talk. It feels natural because it is natural – a part of who he is. He views interruptions as divine appointments, opportunities to share the love of Christ.
So if we’ve made plans and he’s running behind, it isn’t because he doesn’t value our time together or isn’t committed to whatever we were scheduled to work on. He’ll eventually call to re-schedule and explain that “Something important came up and it needed my attention,” which is his way of saying, “I have a friend who doesn’t know Jesus yet and he wanted to talk.”
This is very reminiscent to me of another fellow who grew up in an Eastern culture with a mindset that prioritized people. Though he was on mission with a very well-defined timetable, he never seemed to be in a hurry. He was frequently interrupted, often by people most would not have noticed or considered worthy of his attention. Lord, help me see others the way you see them.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)