Welcome to another Altar'd Moment! In these shorter mini-episodes, the team steps in for a bite-sized devotional between regular chats. In this moment, Lauren gets honest about the hustle of daily life, from endless emails and laundry to busy family schedules, and explores what it truly means to follow Jesus's example of being interruptible and leaving margin in our days to actually see people.

In this Altar'd Moment, Lauren covers:

• The Busyness of Everyday Life: Between work, kids, appointments, practices, groceries, and emails, life moves fast. Can somebody please explain how we're supposed to keep a house clean while we're still living in it?
• Obstacles vs. People: When our days are scheduled down to the minute, an unexpected interruption can quickly feel like an inconvenience. Lauren challenges us to ask: Am I leaving enough room in my life to actually see people?
• Intentional Yet Interruptible: Jesus was deeply intentional with His mission: He withdrew to pray, invested in His disciples, and held clear boundaries. Yet, He was never so attached to His schedule that He stopped seeing the individuals along the way.
• The Interruption in Mark 5: Lauren walks through the story of Jairus begging Jesus to come heal his dying daughter. On the urgent walk to Jairus’s house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of Jesus's robe. Instead of rushing past, Jesus stopped, saw her, and called her "daughter." What looked like an inconvenient delay in a life-or-death emergency was actually another person Jesus loved.
• Praying on the Spot: Instead of just saying "I'll be praying for you," Lauren encourages us to stop right then, whether in aisle 7 at the grocery store or at home, and pray with someone in the moment.
• Discernment vs. Irresponsibility: Being interruptible doesn't mean every need is your responsibility or that you abandon your commitments. It means leaving margin so you can pause and ask: "Lord, is this actually an interruption, or is this what You have for me right now?"

Scripture to Study

• Mark 5:21-34: Jesus stopping for the woman with the issue of blood on the way to Jairus's house.
• Mark 5:35-43: Jesus going on to heal Jairus's daughter.

Today's Altar'd Reflection

This week, try creating a little extra margin in your schedule. When an unexpected conversation or request pops up, pause before reacting with frustration. Ask the Lord whether the disruption to your plan might actually be His divine assignment for your day.