Day 44: Spontaneity

On Monday I had a conversation with my coworker about my process of making plans and enjoying one-on-one encounters more than group settings. All of this sparked my coworker to ask me if I ever enjoy spontaneity. 

This is not the first time he asked me that question. 

My answer is yes. But if he would have asked me that question about 2 years ago (and all of the years prior) I would have said no. 

I used to be uptight about changes in my plans. I would get so upset and throw mini tantrums where I would relish in how much I hated change and didn't like when people ditched me or messed up my plans or caused me to be late or anything!!

Having studied culture and urban systems, as well as having traveled to Africa and interacting with many different people over the years, I have come to know that my life and ministry needs to be flexible. Of course I can make plans and have some expectations, but I now go about this process knowing that things will most likely change. 

For example, when I went to Uganda in 2013 to intern at Child Restoration Outreach, one of my assignments before I left was to make a list of goals for my time spent on my internship. I didn't do the assignment. 

First, I didn't even know what I would be doing at CRO so I didn't understand how I could formulate goals from nothing. 

Second, I didn't want to make all of these expectations and have them be squashed. I wanted to enter my time in Uganda with little to no expectations. My dream is to work in Africa with street kids, so I didn't want to go to CRO thinking I would have the best experience of my life when I knew it was going to be hard. And it was!! It took me about a month to feel like I was in a good place and like I knew what was expected of me as an intern. And the very first day of my time at CRO was one of the hardest days of my life! 

So if I would have made a list of goals and included all of these things I wanted to do at CRO, I think it would have failed. What I needed to do and what they needed me to do was come alongside them, love on the kids, and be an aid to the teachers. 

All if this is to say that I am slowly by slowly incorporating spontaneity into my life. 

Yesterday I had a meeting with my pastor. Our church meets in a church that also houses three other churches. (That's a lot of churches and uses of the word church.) 

The main church is Lutheran. There is a married couple who is very active in the church, and I have met them just a few times. 

When I arrived at my meeting yesterday, my pastor informed me that our meeting would be interrupted because the husband of this couple was surprising his wife for their 25th wedding anniversary with a second wedding. 100+ friends and family members of the couple were hiding in the church waiting for the woman to arrive, be proposed to for a second time, and renew their commitment to each other. My pastor asked if I would like to stay for this surprise. So I did!

It was beautiful.

Even though this was not an issue during our meeting, I am thankful I was willing to disrupt our time and witness this act of love. The person I was years ago might not have been so willing.