I’ve been thinking about this lately and I think it is biblical: I think God calls us to have a life open to spontaneity. God calls us to keep our eyes open and our minds active, and if we do that we should be continuously making choices that could dramatically change our lives. Every day, hour by hour. There is so much opportunity to show love to people around us but we so often miss it because we have to stick to our schedules or we refuse to see and hear. 

So many Christians see planning as a virtue, that safety(financial, physical, spiritual, etc.) is a main goal. Those things aren’t bad, but I know God hasn’t called us to a life of security and comfort. Think of all the examples Jesus displayed and gave in parables that told us to stay on our toes and in the ready, that we don’t know when things are going to happen, that someone might come knocking at our door unexpectedly, that we might come across a beaten man on the street, that we are called to love even on our day off! 

The wonderful thing is is that God TOTALLY provides security and comfort, but it is not something we control and plan. It comes when we realize we are helpless (and we are!) and we can relax into His lead. As a dancer, I have such a hard time being led because I am so used to being the leading partner; listening and letting someone else lead is a skill and it takes trust. When the beautifully competent Leader of the universe wants to keep us from tripping over or own feet, I want to let Him! I want to see the woman crying at the bus stop and hear the sigh of the coworker alone in the break room. I want to open my senses and take it in, let it soften my heart and open my schedules. 

Some are more apt to this than others, for sure, but that’s no excuse. I think we need to keep striving for complete dependence on God and simply be available for the opportunity He stacks into our hands. Like Isaiah, “Here I am!”