Have you ever been so focused on work or a project that time just seemed to fly by? So focused and into the flow that the work just didn’t seem like work? So caught up in it with your energy, mental capacity, and physical presence that you literally didn’t notice anything going on around you?
And then BAM!! Something interrupts you! Something is so intrusive that it disrupts everything you were doing. So obstinate in its arrival that you almost completely lose where you were on the work or project that was all-consuming. So overwhelming that you mentally came close to losing your balance. A cataclysmic tidal wave that bowls you over!
Not a distraction or a stray thought, but an all-inclusive interruption.
Why Career Interruptions Shake Us So Deeply
Losing Work, Losing Balance, Losing Peace
If you said, “Yep, I’ve experienced that,” then my question is, “How did that interruption make you feel?”
If you’re like me, I hate interruptions. Particularly when the interruption is even bigger than me working on something. Like losing my job or going to work feeling unfulfilled! Whoa! Those interruptions stop me in my tracks, and I hesitate to even write down some of the words I felt when those interruptions struck me. None of those descriptors are positive, that’s for sure!
When Work No Longer Feels Secure or Significant
Common Career Interruptions
From a Crossroads Career perspective, I’m writing this blog, and you’re reading it, perhaps due to one of several interruptions:
- You’ve lost your job, and your livelihood is at risk. Provision is murky and unsettling
- Your position has been eliminated, and your career progression has stalled
- Your work that used to be interesting and engaging has become unfulfilling and maybe seems meaningless
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holiday celebrations no longer bring good tidings and cheer, but “no one is hiring” instead
How Should We Respond When Life-Altering Interruptions Arrive?
Are Career Disruptions a Threat—or an Invitation?
So…how should we deal with these interruptions? Specifically, ones that have opportunity, possibility, or threats (?) to be life-altering?
Let’s take a look at God’s Word to see what happened to some Biblical characters and how they dealt with interruptions, specifically characters involved with the prophecy and witness of the birth of Jesus Christ
God’s Pattern of Using Interruptions for Redirection
The following points are paraphrased from Pastor Chris Brown’s 12/14/25 sermon at North Coast Church:
- Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth (Luke 1), were interrupted from their “righteous” service and given a new purpose. Despite being old and well along in years, the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that they would give birth to John the Baptist
- Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38), was also interrupted by Gabriel and given a new plan. He told her that she would conceive before being married to Joseph and birth a son named Jesus
- Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, also heard from Gabriel (Matthew 1:18-26). Joseph’s plan was to privately divorce Mary, but God interrupted this plan and gave him a change of heart
- Shepherds (Luke 2:8-18), tending their flocks by night, were interrupted by a heavenly host proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Tradition has it that Gabriel was once again present to deliver this fantastic news! God gave the shepherd’s a new story (v17)
- Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12) were interrupted by His star in the East and given new destinations (not once, but twice) to first find and worship Jesus, and then later, to avoid King Herod’s inquiries to find Jesus
- Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and Anna (Luke 2:36-38), both devout worshipers of God, were interrupted by the Holy Spirit showing them that the prophesied Messiah and Redeemer, Jesus, was present in the temple. They, in turn, interrupted Mary and Joseph’s temple sacrifice to worship Jesus
What God May Be Doing Through Your Career Interruption
Here are some of the applications from Pastor Brown’s message:
Why God Often Interrupts Before He Redirects
“For God to work in our lives today, He still needs to interrupt us.” That statement has been true with me. I’ve been interrupted with both unemployment and being unfulfilled. Each time, it has prompted me to seek His will diligently through prayer and the Scriptures. Each time, I had peace through the process, and each time, looking back, I can see His fingerprints all over my situation. AND, each time, I would not have made the change or move on my own…THAT took His providential bumping, moving, or dragging me along. 🙂
Familiarity with Faith Can Still Require Deep Trust
“Sometimes the more familiar we are with Jesus, the greater the lack of faith we have in Jesus.” Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I was very familiar with the words of Scripture. So much so that I won Bible spelling bees and quizzes at youth group events. I had foundational faith, but I’m not so sure I stretched or deepened my faith through my youth years the way I could have. The interruptions definitely stretched and deepened my faith in ways I don’t think I could have developed without that adversity.
Why Surrender Matters More Than Knowledge
“Faith requires surrender, not more knowledge.” Despite my head knowledge of His power and abilities, I believe my trusting and obeying God had to experience the paradoxical reality of His upside-down kingdom, where the first shall be last and the last shall be first. To fully understand that EVERYTHING I have comes from Him (John 3:27), and my own efforts at producing results are subject to His providential plan, was life-changing and life-giving.
Letting Go of the Past So God Can Shape the Present
“Surrendering our past and our future is how God directs our present.” This application is a BIG one, particularly the point about surrendering our past. I think I could see how necessary surrendering the future was, based on what I’ve outlined above, but the fundamental aspect of letting go of my past was another paradox for me. To fully realize, no matter what my preparatory experiences may or may not have been, God could take whatever I offered to Him and turn it into something meaningful for the advancement of His Kingdom…that one is still a bit of a mind-bender. But I experienced it happening! Amazing!
Embrace the Interruption Instead of Resisting It
If you’re unemployed or unfulfilled, I encourage you to embrace this interruption, and diligently, expectantly, and with anticipation, ask for and look for God’s work in your life.
James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your heart, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” When we approach God with a repentant heart, in humility and sincerity, God promises to draw close to us.
We can trust Him! Especially with interruptions! Blessings!
Dave Sparkman currently serves as the volunteer Crossroads Career board chair and local ministry leader. He is also the founder and managing director of Spark Your Culture, a corporate culture consulting firm. Prior to that he worked at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune #5 public company, serving in the role of Chief Culture Officer. His unemployment experience came from the implosion of Arthur Andersen, where he served as the West Region Managing Partner, People.
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