We periodically add a post that was published in a previous version of The Christian Educator, before it became a blog. The following article originally appeared in Volume 4, Issue 3 of The Christian Educator.

Before my pre-dawn alarm went off, I got the call: “MOM! Zeke threw up on the carpet!”

I bolted out of bed, grabbed my glasses, and found my 15-year-old son angrily pointing at the offending spot on his bedroom carpet as our 70-pound dog Zeke looked on sheepishly.

Yup. I was off and running on “one of those days.”

You know them. They come out of nowhere and have an uncanny way of happening when (1) you are about to cover difficult material your student is struggling with and (2) one or both of you are especially tired, sick, or weary from battling chronic pain or an ongoing health issue. The morning may begin like any other. You think that you have everything under control. You have an especially rigorous academic day planned followed by appointments, errands, and a long list of “etceteras.” But your well-organized schedule goes out the window with unforeseen interruptions, distractions, and delays.

Is this a conspiracy? Some days I wonder.

My parents call in a panic. Water is streaming out of their pendant lights onto their granite kitchen counter top. My realtor husband has an update about a difficult transaction. Then he needs help editing some copy. I discover a huge wasp crawling up the wall. A big commotion ensues trying to destroy it. Our 9-pound Yorkie Otis spots his nemesis, the UPS truck, and tears down the stairs, followed by Zeke’s thundering footsteps. Otis charges the window, ready to attack, and then tries to beat me (Zeke in tow) to the front door before I can answer the bell. Just as I’m trying to get back to where we were in the lesson, the next door neighbor’s dog starts barking. This continues nonstop for 90 minutes. We plunge on anyway with our work. Then I notice across the street another neighbor’s dog out of his electronic fence and trotting down the sidewalk. I watch briefly, hoping he’ll go back home or his owner will notice he’s gone. But nobody comes, and by now he’s heading way down the block. I call the neighbor; no answer, so I leave a message. I run downstairs and grab a dog treat then dash out the door. I whistle for the dog, but he’s too far away to hear. I hurry over to the owner’s house and ring the bell. Fortunately, she answers, baby in arms and several by her side. She thanks me. I flag down another neighbor, and she says she’ll go after the dog after she picks up her son at the school down the street. A short while later, I am relieved to see her with the wayward dog in the car arriving home. Whew!

A day fraught with a series of disruptions can cause tension to rise, tempers to flare, and concentration to shrivel. Frustration mounts and patience wears thin as quiet instruction and peaceful study seem impossible. You’re pulled from one situation you must handle to another. You feel like you’re running a marathon just trying to get the basics done. The problem with life is that it’s daily, I once heard a man quote. That’s true of interruptions as well, albeit some days jump to the extreme end of the scale. So what do we do?

While brushing my teeth during our lunch break after one particularly difficult morning, I heard an interview on WMBI Moody Radio’s “Mid-Day Connection” program that unintentionally addressed this very issue. I don’t remember the female author’s name who was being interviewed, only what she said, “The person in front of Jesus was his ministry.”

He did not respond like ordinary people, who often consider the person in front of him as an obstacle. He did not say, “I’m late. I’m in a hurry. That’s not on my priority list today. I’ve got to answer that call. I don’t have time for this (or you) now,” etc. He didn’t ignore the person. He wasn’t distracted. Instead, Jesus said “yes” to eternal priorities. He said “yes” to people before schedules. What’s more, he said it with caring concern. He gave himself fully to the person and situation at hand in that moment.

We can do the same when unavoidable interruptions occur that must be addressed. Consider each as a mini ministry opportunity. God’s opportunities to model Christ-like behavior come in all sorts of disguises–even as dogs. How we respond is our witness to Christ living in us. Daily we have numerous chances to reaffirm our fellowship with Him. Satan would like to break that fellowship even momentarily, using life’s unexpected “emergencies” to wreak havoc on our day. But we can overcome the stress and exasperation of “one of those days.” I like to think of what Moody Church’s Senior Pastor Erwin Lutzer said in one of his radio messages, “Grace is the heavenly strength to meet the need of the moment.” As homeschooling mothers know, someone needs something nearly every moment! Thus we need all the heavenly strength and guidance from God’s Word we can get to teach, manage our households, and meet the day’s challenges.

In the end, when our day starts to look like a page out of an Erma Bombeck book or “I Love Lucy” episode, we are faced with a choice: “…then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” In handling even the small things, we can make the right decision: “But for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Keep that in mind next time life’s little curve balls try to sideline you.