And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

It is interesting to look back over my life and think about the times others made time for me in their busy schedules. My mom, who cared for so many people at church and in the community, seemed to always have time to hear and listen to me. She understood how I was feeling and what weighed on my heart, both good and bad. She had a busy schedule, raising 6-8 kids (depending on whether her step-children were in town). But she made time to be interrupted by me many times.

I remember a Korean businessman who served at church in our youth group for only a few months. He could have thought his time was too short and he was so busy, that this service might be an interruption. But instead, Andrew Chu showed up prepared to be used and allowed his life to be interrupted, in order to find a youth to invest in. That youth was me and he taught me to memorize scripture, a book at a time.

Later in life, my sister and her husband, when he called to pastor a small community church (making a salary below the poverty level) interrupted their lives to have me come and stay with/near them. I needed a place to stay outside of high school. They were super busy, but allowed their lives to be interrupted. All of these people and so many others have blessed me by allowing God to challenge their busy life with an interruption.

Divine interruptions are God’s way of showing us: 1) He cares about everyone, 2) Through his power and might we are strong, even though we feel taxed and weak, and 3) He has a better plan than we do.

Here we see a woman, with twelve years of bleeding, who interrupted Jesus’ mission. She had not only paid so much to have medical help, but also would have been constantly declared “unclean” by the Jewish culture. When she touched Jesus and was healed, Jesus would technically become “unclean” too. She touched Jesus while he was on mission to heal Jairus’ daughter, who was dying.

The argument could have been made that healing the dying daughter of a synagogue leader was more important than spending time with a woman with constant bleeding issues. But Jesus knew God’s heart and his power. God’s heart cared for this woman and his power could not only heal, but also raise from the dead.

So he paused his healing mission and searched for this woman. He didn’t have to. But he wanted her to know he knew her years of suffering and he cared. He also wanted her to know he respected her faith. What an amazing encouragement that must have been to her and a model for those around him. Sick and injured people were not to be cast off, but to be cared for and loved. They were not “worse sinners”, but many times pillars of faith, having endured much hardship.

I have been so blessed by many who have interrupted their schedules for me. Will I allow God to interrupt my schedule with his divine appointments to love and care for those who need it too?

Lord, thank you for so perfectly modeling how to allow for divine interruptions. Teach me to be excited about the potential of these and not irritated by the pause in my schedule. You are The Lord. You can work out all things, including divine interruptions, for your glory!