An author’s life is a delicate balance. Writing time is precious, and many times, difficult to come by. It’s especially true when you have children, a spouse, a full-time job, the laundry, and (for me) graduate school.

As the single mom of two boys, I’m often in the midst of writing, revising, or doing homework when I hear “Hey, mom?”

My younger child, who’s ten, will ask about an upcoming play date, a lost toy, or if I can help find the popcorn when he needs a snack. My older son, who’s 17, often wants the car keys, has a question about his upcoming college courses, or needs advice on installing anti-virus software on his computer.

I was thinking about balancing writing and interruptions while in church this morning. Interestingly, our pastor’s message hit home.  His message was “Made to Serve,” the fifth of a five-part series on popular summer movies. This week’s film, Pixar’s The Minions, tells the story of the adorable and precocious yellow creatures who seek the dastardliest villain on earth to obey.

Using the movie as a humorous example, our pastor’s point was this: We are created to serve. We are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works – Ephesians 2:10. He spoke about Jesus setting an example for all of us—after all, the Son of God was never too busy to perform miracles. Jesus paused in the middle of a wedding celebration to serve the bride and groom, turning water into wine. And Mark 10: 48-49 tells us, Jesus stopped and said, “Call him,” taking time to cure Bartemaeus’ blindness on the way out of Jericho.

So, how do we, as authors, write and serve? Here are my thoughts about writing, goals, interruptions, and life: