Anxious moments, I experienced some years back, when I had to disturb a "sleeping boss"!
There I was between the devil and the deep blue sea (many years ago during my secular stint of 13 years in the Indian oil sector) pacing nervously in the Hotel aisle, peering frighteningly at the “Do not disturb” sign, unable to decide whether to thumb the Room doorbell or not. Let me present the backdrop to the scene. During one of our Company’s conferences’ in a reputed Hotel in Hyderabad (where I was posted at that time), our firm’s senior director was suddenly taken ill. A doctor was summoned by the Hotel management, problem thankfully diagnosed as “not serious” but as something “mild” resulting from excessive stress and the VIP patient duly advised some much-needed rest. Lo and behold, after three hours our branch office at Hyderabad gets a fax message from the Head Office (blissfully oblivious about the developments in Hyderabad), seeking our Director’s advice on an urgent matter and on one Mr. Suresh Manoharan, the ever loyal foot soldier (read field officer) fell the onerous responsibility of disturbing an indisposed VIP with a message bearing “SOS” overtones. The dilemma would not have been acute, if the fax message had arrived say two hours before. I would not have even entertained an idea of disturbing the resting “General of our troops” who had taken just “one hour” rest but please understand, in my calculating mind now the “Captain of the army” had been cooling his heels for good three hours… so should he not be disturbed to address an emergency? How I solved (actual modus operandi) the pressing problem with minimal damage to all concerned is beyond the scope of this essay but suffice it to say, I rang the doorbell of the Creator Himself (prayed) to help me in this sticky situation and He promptly gave me (HE WAS NOT RESTNG, YOU SEE ) the wisdom to sort out the knotty issue in no time. Ah the dangling, diabolic, sinister-looking (at that time, that is) “Do not disturb” sign! It refuses to go away from my mind!!!Amazing isn’t it, the “Director of the universe” never puts out a disturbing “Do not disturb sign” before His Sanctum sanctorum to anyone seeking His help? Consider this verse
“…Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD.
Give the LORD no rest until he completes his work…” Isaiah 62:6-7
It may be mind-boggling but the fact of the matter is that our good Lord virtually has a placard hanging on his bosom “Disturb me”. At a time mortal leaders, with their obvious limitations need their “own private time”, solving our problems only when their “Darbars (courts) are in session”, is it not refreshing to see the King of Kings, by stark contrast throwing the gauntlet “Do not give me any rest till I answer your prayers.”? Boy…this challenge comforting as it is, is guaranteed to “disturb the disturbance” in the anxious lot, reassuring them of an immediate audience with their problem-solving LORD OF LORDS.