Earlier in the week, I was running late on the way to an appointment. I was feeling pressured as well as surprised by the amount of traffic on the local roads. As I drove, I could not help but think that if only there had been one less interruption earlier in the day I would not be in this position. However, the fact of the matter was that there had not been, and I was on the brink of being late… something I prefer not to be. As I arrived at my destination and put the car into park, I looked up to see a beautiful tree across the street; somewhat interrupted by power lines and signs, but still a pleasant sight.

Trying as it may be, isn’t that the way life is at times? Interrupted or laden with interference. It is like tuning the radio to a high definition station that is playing a favorite song only to have the signal repeatedly cut out as you drive along. Or possibly stronger, like losing a Wi-Fi connection in the middle of transferring a file. Yet, maybe even more impactful, like losing power altogether.

We all experience unplanned and unexpected interruptions or times when we may set out on one path only to end up on another. Times when we simply cannot get “from here to there” in the allotted time, or at all. So what is the point of all this interference? Perhaps it is to resist letting the perspective that whatever I may have been held back from was more important, or to always seek to remember the sacredness of moments spent with, or on behalf of, another. Still, more than anything, perhaps the point is to recognize it for what it is—more often than not, a gift—to see the beauty in each moment, even those that are interrupted or unexpected, and to ask for the grace to receive it with joy.