Looking Beyond Dislodgment

I asked the boys to come to charge conference last night. Charge conference is when we come together as a church body and celebrate the ministries and affirm the leadership of the church. I am all about "inspiring the youth in seeing themselves as part of the church. This was the texting dialogue with my oldest son Kota.


Me: "Please."
Kota: "You really should tell me these things before."
Me: "Never mind I thought dad did."
Kota: "He didn't"
Kota: "It interrupts what I'm doing."
Kota: "And I really don't like that."

I love that Kota has come to a point where he can communicate what he really feels without a meltdown. This is a huge accomplishment. I don't always like what he says but I honestly rejoice that he is finding his voice...mostly.

What my son is expressing is not unique to people on the spectrum.

"It interrupts what I'm doing. And I really don't like that."

Most of us don't like interruptions. As a "Mom/Pastor my life is filled with interruptions to my daily plan of action. One would think that the more I am interrupted the more I would roll with the flow.

I am not convinced it works that way. I find when my day or life or plans get interrupted more frequently I dislike <insert a stronger word of your choice> being interrupted. In fact, disruptions, if allowed, could wreck my day.

Is it the actual disruptions of life that wreck our day...or...our response (attitude) that wrecks our day?

For Kota, he had a plan:
Come in from school.
Go to his room for decompression time.
Emerge for homework.
Be forced to eat dinner. (Supreme waste of time.)
Finish homework.
XBox 360!!!

I interrupted xBox. Really?!?! The nerve. But for Kota it was worse that his well crafted plan for his evening was "dislodged." "Total dislodgment" His word. Not mine. He was in his nighttime pants, with a bowl of chips, controller in hand, disc engaged and then BAM! Plucked out of his comfy world and tossed to the wind like a feather from a Thanksgiving turkey to float aimlessly to the ground. With a thud. (Drama added for Kota's benefit.)

How often do we feel "dislodged" from our plans, our day, our way of life. Sometimes, the interruptions are God's way of moving us into a new place; a better place.

I look back at the times I have been stopped, moved or re-directed. There have even been times when I WAS the feather crash landing in a new place; lost, disoriented. Always, after whining, complaining, cursing comes the need to look up; around, beyond.

The true test that comes for a person is do we stay lost in our own little pity party or do we look beyond the experience of being dislodged to what lies beyond. Perhaps something greater - something better, something that grows us into what God sees within us.

NOTE: Kota did come to the Charge Conference meeting. One giant step for compliance; one giant leap for looking beyond. He didn't love it but more importantly he didn't hate it.