October 31, 2019

Beautiful Disruptions - guest post by Valerie Ronald

One day on a beach walk with a good friend, I told her about an e-mail I received that morning from a man I did not know. It seems I knew his brother and sister-in-law a long time ago. I gazed at the waves beating their way to shore, scuffed the sand with my shoe.

“He asked if it would be alright if we wrote to each other.” When I glanced at my friend, she was smiling. She said, “I have such a strong sense that from this day out, things for you will change for the better. God is up to something.”

My heart gave a hopeful little leap, then settled back to the cautious beat of one familiar with pain, disappointment and struggle. For several years all I had known was the war zone of a messy divorce and a life-threatening illness. Hope was hard to come by. Now in retrospect I recognize that moment on the beach as one of God’s beautiful disruptions. Sometime later I married the man who e-mailed me and moved on to a whole new life full of love, joy and fulfillment.

Webster’s dictionary defines disruption as "causing something to be unable to continue in the normal way: interrupting the usual progress or activity of something." A disruption is at first stressful because it throws things into disorder, putting us off the course we were used to. But God has a way of disrupting lives that opens up possibilities never imagined, even if at the time the disruption is unwelcome.

 The scriptures are full of beautifully disrupted stories where God suddenly steps in to redirect the current path of someone He wants to use to fulfill His purposes. In Exodus 3, Moses has spent many years tending his father-in-law’s flock on the far side of the desert. God captures Moses’ attention when He speaks from a burning bush. He sends Moses on a mission back to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery. As a country herdsman spending countless days with only sheep for company, Moses’ life is beautifully disrupted when he becomes God’s chosen instrument to lead His people to freedom.

As a lowly shepherd boy on the hills around Bethlehem, David was unlikely to be chosen for any significant role. But God changed David’s life by sending His prophet, Samuel, to anoint him as the future king of Israel. God’s beautiful disruption caused David to become a mighty king, a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22 NIV) and a forefather of Jesus, the Messiah.

In the most glorious disruption of all, a Jewish peasant girl is visited by an angel announcing she is to give birth to the Son of God. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) Through the power of the Holy Spirit, she becomes the mother of Jesus, God in human flesh, whose life, death and resurrection provides salvation for all who believe in Him.

 To be honest, I would prefer God to lead me down new paths slowly and gently. But when I think of the mountaintops of my spiritual walk, it is the beautiful disruptions that stand out. Those times when God suddenly breaks into my mundane life speak of a love so great He would do the extraordinary to capture my attention. Such beautiful disruptions cause me to exclaim, only God.
Only God could orchestrate so many details to fulfill His purposes.
Only God interrupts by making me breathless with His beauty and majesty.
Only God beautifully disrupted time by stepping down from eternity to live among us.


Valerie Ronald is a lifetime writer living in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She is a member of the Manitoba Christian Writers Association and blogs atwww.scriptordeus.wordpress.com



7 comments:

  1. "Beautiful disruptions." What a wonderful theme and the eloquent way you've brought in the principles of how God breaks into our lives with disruptions that change the course of our lives. While reading you blog, I began thinking of several ways that God brought disruptions into my life. Some at the time seemed purely disruptive, others amazing, but in the end they all turned out to be beautiful. God is so faithful to us, and His purpose in "breaking in" reflects what He said through Isaiah: "My thoughts and ways are higher than yours..."

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  2. Welcoming disruptions! Such sound wisdom. I like to say, "expect the unexpected." :) And you certainly got that from an unexpected email! Thanks for sharing your story.

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  3. This is such a wonderful story - worthy of one of those 'Hallmark' movies! I am looking forward to you joining our regular team of bloggers, Valerie. You have a very eloquent way with words!

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  4. Your title certainly caught my attention, Valerie. We often think of love as a distraction, but if it is the "real thing" it is more than a distraction. It can change your life a lot and that can be a beautiful change. God reminds us that he has a plan for us, a plan to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29: 11) I am happy for you that your friend encouraged you to respond to the e-mail. She sensed, and maybe you did too, that God was up to something. Welcome to our InScribe blog, Valerie. I look forward to reading more of your writing,

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  5. Hi Valerie! My name is Alan. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Welcome as one of our bloggers. When I wasn't sure what to do with my writing a "beautiful disruption," called InScribe Cgristian Writers Fellowship, entered my life.I hope and pray you will continue to write with us.

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  6. It is wonderful to hear how God disrupted your life in such a wonderful way!

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  7. What a beautiful story. "God is up to something." I love that line - a great reminder that no matter where we are in life he is always there.

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