My whole life I've been complaining...

         "My whole life I've been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted," Henri Nouwen said near the end of his life, "until I discovered the interruptions were my work!"

     Interesting how the Lord answers our prayers, our questions and concerns.
     This morning I had jotted a note in one of my books that the thing that I think of now is that I would be able to have the time left here on earth to get the things done that I want to do.....read all the books that I want to, quilt and sew all that I want to, learn as much as  I possibly can about the Lord, spend time with my kids and their wee ones before they are all grown, learn how to write...  Then I was waylaid by picking up this book by our pastor in Duncan, Mark Buchanan, called The Rest of God and stumbled upon this chapter 'Stopping to number our days aright!' 
    Pastor Mark makes this observation of Jesus' life:  ...He lived life with the clearest and highest purpose. Yet He veered and strayed from one interruption to the next, with no apparent plan in hand other than His single, overarching one: get to Jerusalem and die.
Otherwise, His days ,were a series of zigzags and detours, apparent whims and second thoughts, interruptions and delays, off the cuff plans, spur of the moment decisions, leisurely meals , serendipitous rounds of storytelling.......Jesus was available-or not- according to some oblique logic of His own............The closest that we get to what dictated Jesus' schedule is His own statement in John's gospel: 'The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)

continued and updated January 27/14 
    Is that helpful to those of you who feel that you never manage to complete the task at hand, especially those of you who have a houseful of little ones and the interruptions are continuous, even when you are sleeping.
  I know that I use to feel that way and still do so often. Thinking that the Lord must have a plan and purpose for my life , if I could just get around to it. 
    Even though I am retired now I still live a life of interruptions . Interruptions of my plans!   Or what I thought were mine and God's plans and purposes for me, for my husband and my family.   But.............God's ways are not my ways and I am learning that when I pray and relinquish my life to Him I had better mean because He does, and He begins straight away to bring about His plans. 
     I was so thankful to come across this writing by Pastor Mark Buchanan that I quoted above, it has helped me so much to accept my life and not to pine for what isn't . I love the explanation of our lives as those born of the Spirit, and pray that I will remember this daily as my plans are interrupted and waylaid, so that I can enjoy the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life and then reach the final goal.....eternity with Jesus in Heaven!