Be spontaneous!

I received this e-mail from one of my favorite students on the last class day of my last semester:

BE SPONTANEOUS. I hope that you and your wife have a wonderful retirement and that you do many things that you have always wished to do. Go places you have never gone and do things you have never done . . .like rock climbing or bungee jumping or taking a trek across the Sahara Desert or taming wild lions or joining a traveling circus!! Those are just a few things I would like to do. :) I hope that whatever you do, God will bless you and your family tremendously. (excerpt from personal e-mail, May 5, 2005.)

A reminder, which I didn't need--I already knew it--that I am perceived as a little dull.

There are worse things than being dull. Spontaneity can get you into big trouble. But, on the other hand, doing daring, spontaneous things is part of what the Christian life is supposed to be about, and, I think, she is right. I haven't been as spontaneous as I should have been. I haven't stood up for the right in unpopular ways as often, or as forcefully, as I should have.

Rahab spontaneously decided to protect the spies. David spontaneously decided to go against Goliath. Mary heard news that was going to change her life radically, and accepted it, apparently on the spot. Years later, Mary told Jesus to do something a little rash, and his first miracle was performed. The Twelve left their jobs and families behind, just dropping their nets, or walking away from the cashbox, and followed Jesus. Paul couldn't restrain himself, and stood up and made a speech at Mars Hill. Spontaneity can be good. No, great!

Thanks for the advice! We do plan to go some places we have never gone, and will do some things we have never done, I hope. (Don't hold your breath till we bungee jump or tame wild lions!) I also hope we have the courage, if God calls, to do some things for Him that we have never done. His church could use some real sanctified spontaneity.

I don't name private persons on this blog, but the person who wrote the above quote knows who she is, and if she reads this, and I hope she does, I am letting her know that I will try to pray that she will do some wonderful things, too, some just for the fun of it, and some of them just for Him.