“And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?”
— Mark 5:30
“Love is an interruption.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer
THE FAMILIAR MALAISE
Lately, I’ve been trying to consciously interrupt the rhythm of my life. I know that likely sounds a little odd.
Interrupt the rhythm of life? Let me explain.
You know the way that most conversations begin to feel like polite transactions? The way you bump into a friend and default to “Busy. How about you?” The way you show up to dinner and everyone talks about work, kids, and weather, then calls it a night.
None of it’s bad. But none of it is alive.
Somewhere along the way, our schedules have become sacred and our souls have become background noise. We don’t say how we really are because it might derail the flow. We don’t speak up in the moment because we don’t want to seem “too much.” We don’t ask the deeper question because it’s easier to let the night fade out in casual comfort.
And yet, something in us wants more.
More presence. More depth. More impact. More God.
So I’ve started trying to interrupt the script. Just enough to wake up the moment.
JESUS, THE DIVINE DISRUPTOR
Jesus loved a good interruption.
Read the gospels and it becomes clear, His most powerful moments didn’t happen on stages. They most often happened on detours.
A woman who had bled for twelve years touches his robe (Mark 5), and He stops everything.
A man lowered through a roof mid-sermon (Luke 5), and Jesus turns his attention to him.
A despised tax collector climbs a tree just to see Him (Luke 19), and Jesus says, “I’m coming to your house.”
A woman fetching water alone in the heat of the day (John 4), and Jesus turns a casual request into soul revival.
He was constantly stopping. Constantly tuning in. Constantly disrupting the flow for the sake of the heart. Get this: Jesus wasn’t efficient. He was intentional.
THE QUESTIONS THAT CHANGED THE ROOM
Just a few nights ago, my family and I were at a gathering with some of our closest friends. It was casual. Comfortable. Lots of laughs. Catching up on stories and life updates.
Then, one of the couples gently asked a question.
Not confrontational. Not forced. Just thoughtful.
And in an instant, the conversation shifted.
The air changed. We spent nearly an hour talking about the real stuff: Where we were at with God. What He’d been doing in our lives. Where we felt stuck. What we were praying for in the next season.
It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t rehearsed. It was just an ordinary moment with a healthy pattern interruption.
And that one question opened doors that months of surface conversation never could. That’s the power of a pattern interruption. Not to be dramatic. But to go deeper. To invite Jesus into the ordinary and see Him make it sacred.
THE HOLIDAY CHALLENGE: PURPOSFUL INTERRUPTION
With Christmas just days away, many of us are going to be sitting in living rooms filled with family. Some of it will be beautiful. Some of it will be complicated. Most of it will feel familiar.
And here’s the truth: You have an opportunity.
You can laugh and eat and open gifts and scroll your phone. Or… you can look around the room and remember: These are eternal souls. This might be the year someone finally opens up. This might be the night someone finally feels seen. This might be the moment when the Holy Spirit wants to move. And what it may take is your willingness to interrupt the flow.
So here is the challenge:
Interrupt the pattern.
I am not saying completely derail your Christmas traditions. I am not saying annoyingly probe at inappropriate moments. Enjoy the small talk. Enjoy the traditions. But aim to take it deeper.
Ask one thoughtful question.
Pull someone aside for one deeper check-in.
Speak one intentional encouragement into someone’s life.
Don’t fear awkwardness. Fear apathy.
A FINAL CHARGE
Jesus wasn’t afraid to stop the show for the one person in need. He’s inviting you to do the same.
This week, be the interruption.
Be the one who sees. Be the one who asks. Be the one who opens the door for a sacred moment.
The world will try to pull you back into casual comfort. The enemy will whisper that it's not worth the effort. Your own fear will tempt you to play it safe.
But love risks awkward.
And Jesus often walks in through the doors we’re willing to crack open.
So interrupt the flow.
Break the script.
And invite eternity into the moment.
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