Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

• Matthew 18:1-6

“If you question your depravity, check your attitude toward intrusions. Those inevitable, unpredictable interruptions that make us irritable … especially when they persist, rudely seizing our attention whether we are ready or not. And usually we’re not.
“Having a French origin, intrude emerges from two terms, meaning ‘to thrust in.’ An intrusion, therefore, is someone or something that thrusts itself into our world without permission, without an invitation, and refuses to be ignored.
“Like an early-morning knock at your door.
“Like a talkative passenger next to you on a packed-out flight.
“Like an injury or illness that strikes at the wrong time.
“Like the piercing ring of the telephone.
“Like the relentless, endless demands of small children.
“Like … no, let’s stop with that one. The constant needs and demands of a child. Yes, constant. His or her need to be loved, to be answered, to be listened to, to be helped, held, corrected, trained, always encouraged, and occasionally spanked.
“I watched a young mother in a waiting room just last week. She was pregnant and had a toddler plus one in diapers in her arms. Was she busy! Untied shoes, runny noses, twelve questions a minute, dropped rattle (five times), three falls—once on his face, loud crying, a bottle of juice that spilled in her bag. And as she mopped it up with her last clean diaper, the baby barfed right down the back of her neck. Yet with incredible patience, that mother hung in there. Her whole world is one gigantic intrusion, l thought. l sure hope she’s got a husband who understands … and helps her out!
“l also wondered if that young mother realized that she was modeling an unforgettable display of Christ’s message. Remember His words?”

• Charles R. Swindoll, The Finishing Touch (Devotion for week 39, Friday)

Rev. Swindoll then quotes the Scripture above.  Rev. Swindoll goes on to say that those intrusions from the least of these are tests of our love.  Do we calmly answer their questions?  Do we go back to tuck them into bed?  For the third time?  Or do we show the depravity of mankind, by yelling at them and shutting them out of your life?

They want something.  They have a question.  They are frightened.  They are sick.

But when do the intrusions end?  I have shown my depravity lately, or maybe I just swallowed really hard and bit my tongue.

I was trying to get ahead in my writing.  One day, I was simply trying to think about the next thing to write about.  My son said something, and I thought that was a great idea, but by the time the conversation was over, the idea was gone.  He called back an hour later and the idea returned, just to disappear an hour later.

Do the intrusions ever cease?

Well, they have to or I would not get anything written.  Invariably, when my son calls, needing an understanding soul to talk to, the phone has trouble getting a signal in the basement where the computer is.  So the writing ceases until his intrusion goes away.

But only once or twice have I said that I had to get something finished downstairs, but only after a long conversation.

One night, he called at about eleven o’ clock one night, 10:00 his time, and he talked for an hour, over an hour.  I remember saying that I would say “Good morning” to him and go to bed, since it was 00:23 on my watch.  I added that I understood that it was still yesterday where he was.  Two hours later, I had an IBS attack.  I had eaten very safe foods for several days, nothing even remotely sketchy, nothing with hidden ingredients.  But there I was for the next hour wondering if the pain would ever subside.

Did one intrusion lead to the other?  Stress induced?

I have no idea, but my son was hurting, and he needed someone to talk to.  In the past three weeks, he has called early in the morning over half of those days.  Sometimes to say he called off due to the issues he is having.  Sometimes he would ask if he still had a job.  Sometimes he would call to tell me he made it to work and for me not to worry.

You see, the calls keep coming because he trusts me and loves me.  He may be middle-aged with three children of his own, one in high school and already considering his college choices.

But those who consider the word “parent” as a verb realize that you are never too old, and your child is never too old.

Keep the communication lines open.  Do not succumb to the depravity that Rev. Swindoll mentions, when you just get tired of the interruptions, and you say you want some peace and quiet.

Because as you get older, those intrusions are about such things as a major career change, buying a house, having a disease that will alter everything in your life for the rest of your life, or simply that their entire life is crumbling in their hands, and they need a virtual hug over the phone…

You know, those life altering things.

Yes, if you keep the communication lines open, you get to laugh and cry with someone you helped come into this world.

Do the intrusions ever cease?

No.  And they shouldn’t if you love them, and they love you.

And when it comes to those life altering things, God gives us the sleep we need, the strength we need, and, if we pray a lot, the wisdom that we need. All we have to do when the intrusion comes is to say, “Yes, I have the time” and then God takes care of the rest.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.