Spiritual Spontaneity

Our aim in the spiritual life is to live spontaneously.  Some say spontaneous living is the only way to go.  Let the wind take us where it will.  No thinking is necessary.  Just act.  Marketing people count on this as they put all those candy bars at the check out counter in stores.  And, of course, those same candy bars are but a small indicator of why some say spontaneous living is not a good thing.  It is better to let rational planned thought guide our actions. 

 

However, spiritual spontaneity is one of our aims in the spiritual life.  What we want as a believer in Christ is to engage the world and the opportunities it affords us with the spirit of Jesus.  As a boy I read Charles Sheldon's book entitled "In His Steps."  It espoused the modern version of the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) movement.  The only problem with this way of life is that it requires a rational thought process that weighs the pro and con of a certain response.  It speaks more of what I can do than what the Holy Spirit wants to do through me.

The Holy Spirit seeks to do the work of inner transformation in our spiritual lives.  He seeks to make us after the image of the heart of Christ.  He seeks to do heart work which changes the way we view the world.  He seeks to enable us to respond to the world in a spontaneous way as we follow His leading in our daily living.  We become the hands and feet and the heart of Jesus as we allow Him to do His work in us.  We live spontaneously.