Why I hate this C.S. Lewis quote about embracing interruptions

The Word Before Work

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Series: Mere Christians of the Bible
Devotional: 3 of 5

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion…He and all his family were devout and God-fearing. (Acts 10:1-2)

We’re in a series extracting lessons for our work from some “mere Christians” mentioned in Scripture—believers who faithfully followed Jesus through their seemingly “secular” work. Today’s passage mentions one such mere Christian: Cornelius the Roman centurion.

Acts 10 tells us, “At about three in the afternoon, [Cornelius] had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’” Though startled, Cornelius responded, “What is it, Lord?” The angel instructed him to send for Peter. Without hesitation, Cornelius “called two of his servants and a devout soldier” to carry out the mission (see Acts 10:3-7).

This was probably a regular day at the office for Cornelius, until out of nowhere, an angel appeared. Cornelius could have said, “Sorry angel. Now’s not a good time. Can’t you see I’m busy training my soldiers?” But instead, Cornelius embraced the “interruption” for what it clearly was—a divine appointment from God.

Cornelius’s response brings to mind a quote from the mere Christian himself, C.S. Lewis who said, “What one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day.”

Now, I love Lewis, but I have a love/hate relationship with this quote. Because I’ve heard way too many Christians use it (and quotes like it) to justify laziness disguised as spiritual devotion. Here’s the truth: it is way easier (and often more immediately gratifying) to drift through your day responding to every interruption in the name of religious piety than it is to sit down, focus, and create something valuable with the skills God has given you to steward.

And no, contrary to what you may have been told, Jesus did not “always have time for interruptions.” It’s true that many times he did. But other times he ignored interruptions so that he could focus on the work God called him to do (see Mark 9:30-31 and Matthew 12:46-50).

So where do Jesus and Cornelius’s examples leave us? Are we to embrace or ignore interruptions at work today? I think the answer is both.

Here’s my charge for you today: turn on Do Not Disturb, shut down your email, and in “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” rather than half your attention (Colossians 3:23).

But when a call mysteriously breaks through, your child ignores your home office’s “closed-door policy,” or an angel shows up unexpectedly—embrace the “interruption” as “the life God is sending” you. And like Cornelius, look forward with great expectation to what God can do in that unexpected encounter!