Finding God in Ordinary Interruptions

When the Day Doesn’t Go as Planned
It happened on a day that looked like every other day — the kind of day that blends into the rhythm of ordinary life. I had a plan, a list, and the quiet confidence that I could move through the next few hours without disruption. But God, as He often does, had a different plan. And He revealed it through something so small I almost missed it.

One of my daughters needed me. It wasn’t dramatic or urgent. It was simply inconvenient. A tug on my attention at the wrong moment. A question that broke my rhythm. My first instinct was irritation — not because the request was unreasonable, but because it wasn’t on my schedule. I had things to do. I had a plan.

But something in me paused. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, like a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit: Look again. And in that moment, I realized I was standing in one of those quiet thresholds where grace often hides — not in the extraordinary, but in the interruptions we try to brush past.

The God Who Steps Into Ordinary Life
Scripture is full of these moments. Moses is tending sheep when a bush burns. Mary is living an ordinary life in Nazareth when Gabriel appears. Peter is cleaning his nets when Jesus steps into his boat. Matthew is sitting at his tax booth when Christ calls his name. None of them were in the Temple. None were in formal prayer. None were preparing for a divine encounter. God simply stepped into their day and rearranged it.

The Incarnation itself is the greatest interruption of all. God enters human history not with spectacle, but with the cry of a newborn in a forgotten corner of Bethlehem. Heaven breaks into earth through the most ordinary doorway imaginable: a mother, a child, a stable. Holiness slips quietly into the world, almost unnoticed.

And it still does.

The Grace Hidden in the Unplanned
We often imagine holiness as something we pursue — something we schedule, prepare for, or “get in the right mindset” to receive. But the deeper truth is that holiness is something God initiates. St. Augustine once wrote, “You were within me, but I was outside.” He wasn’t describing a dramatic conversion moment. He was describing the discovery that God had been present all along — in the unnoticed, the ordinary, the interruptions.

St. Paul echoes this when he says, “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Not just in the spiritual things. Not just in the planned things. In all things — including the moments that feel like obstacles. The interruption may be the very place where grace is waiting.

Learning to See With Incarnational Eyes
That day, when my daughter tugged at my attention, I realized I had a choice: cling to my agenda or surrender to the moment God had placed in front of me. I chose — slowly, imperfectly — to surrender. And in that small act, something shifted. My daughter felt seen. I felt present. And God felt near. Not because I had gone looking for Him, but because He had come looking for me.

It made me wonder how many times I’ve missed Him simply because I was too focused on what I thought mattered.

The saints understood this secret. St. Francis de Sales taught that holiness is found in “the duties of the present moment.” St. Teresa of Calcutta said that God is found “in the small things done with great love.” Brother Lawrence discovered God “among the pots and pans.” None of them waited for ideal circumstances. They found God in the interruptions, the inconveniences, the unexpected demands of love.

This is the heart of the Incarnation: God does not wait for perfect conditions. He enters the world as it is — noisy, inconvenient, unplanned. And He continues to enter our lives the same way.

Where God Waits for Us
I am learning — slowly, imperfectly — that interruptions are not the enemy of my spiritual life. They are invitations. They are the places where God gently redirects me, softens me, and teaches me to love in ways I would not have chosen on my own.

The next time something breaks your rhythm, pause. Look again. You may find that the God who once interrupted shepherds, fishermen, and a young woman in Nazareth is interrupting you too — not to frustrate you, but to draw you closer to Him.

Holiness often enters through the unexpected. Grace often arrives unannounced. And God is often found in the very moments we try hardest to avoid.