I wish life was predictable, but it is not. Yet, blessings often sneak in unexpectedly if we have prepared our hearts to be interrupted.
I sometimes view unexpected phone calls as interruptions to my planned day, especially if the call is from someone needing something from me “right now.” Slow traffic, long lines at the grocery counter, work related demands, and the neighbor who drops in unexpectedly when I have been up all night with a sick kid and the house hasn’t seen “clean” in a month—these interruptions frustrate me.
What if all the people involved in these situations were viewed as unexpected guests into my life? Might a new perspective adjust my attitude and my interactions with them?
Brigid of Kildare was a woman who looked for the unexpected. She lived between 450 and 523 and was known for her generosity and hospitality to all, but especially to strangers, the poor, and the sick. She never saw people as interruptions to her life, but as guests to be welcomed. This is one of her house prayers still used by many as they prepare their hearts and lives to be interrupted by unexpected guests.
I would welcome the poor and honour them. I would welcome the sick in the presence of angels and ask God to bless and embrace us all. Seeing a stranger approach, I would put food in the eating place. drink in the drinking place, music in the listening place, and look with joy for the blessing of God, who often comes to my home in the blessing of a stranger. We call upon the Sacred Three to save, shield and surround this house, this home, this day, this night, and every night.You’ll find more of Brigid’s prayers in Celtic Daily Prayer—Prayers and Readings From the Northumbria Community. (See right sidebar for more details.) But for now, how do you prepare your heart and life to be interrupted by the unexpected guest?
In Him together, Susan Gaddis
May the Three who created,
The Father who thought it,
The Word who spoke it,
The Spirit who danced over it,
Move in and through me this day,
To think as He thinks,
To speak as He speaks,
To dance as He dances,
Throughout my chores and business,
In the duties that are so ordinary—revealing the Faithful One.
In the demands of those I serve—mirroring the Servant.
In my cleaning and my cooking—echoing the Song.
This day and everyday,
May I be a reflection of the Three-One,
Who created all and sustains all.
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