Photo by Christos Loufopoulos

By Jerrica KF Ching

The word spontaneity often brings up a complexity of emotions in me that takes some time sorting through and processing.  In the past, I would not have described myself as a spontaneous person, and viewed it as the antithesis of being an organized person.  To me, a spontaneous person could do something with absolutely no intent and no plan, and still have an amazing time.  These would be the “go-with-the-flow” type of friends, or the ones who “did well under pressure.” The word “spontaneous” would not be used to describe my personality, and I would often envy my friends and colleagues who could simply stop what they were doing, switch gears, and move on to a different task seemingly without any worry or care.

Whenever I think of someone who is spontaneous, I imagine someone who thinks, “I’m going to stop what I’m doing and go on a mini adventure!”  While this may work for some, for most people — myself included — the thought of going on a mini adventure involves some degree of planning.  This got me thinking, if it involves any type of planning, is it really that spontaneous?  Then would spontaneous be synonymous with impulsive?  I find it very difficult to believe that God allowed people the choice to be spontaneous with the intent that people would grow to become so incredibly impulsive and make rash decisions.  I believe that for something to be truly spontaneous, it needs to be something that occurs for a brief moment, and is not something that becomes a habit.

Nowadays, I view being spontaneous as finding moments of pure joy.  This moment can be when I happen to look up from my work, notice the sun shining, the rain pouring, or lightening in the distance, and appreciate that God has given me such a lovely variety of scenery to be present in.  It can happen when I am so overwhelmed and stressed out, and for a brief moment I feel grateful to be so passionate and dedicated to something worth stressing out for.  It can happen when in the midst of frustration, God gives me humility, and I am able to reset and refocus. Spontaneity does not mean having to give up on plans completely, nor does it mean to throw out all sense of structure.  Instead, it is a way of finding joy in any given circumstance, both positive and negative.

Last week Melanie shared that spontaneity can come in the form of laughter, especially laughter with others.  I agree that finding moments of pure joy can be shared either with others around us, or with God.  Finding joy in the midst of the struggle, the pain, the doubt, the fear, and the frustration is what makes these spontaneous moments so pure and can give us so much hope.

So whether all of your responsibilities and obligations in your life are going smoothly or maybe even a little bumpy, may you be able to witness these sweet, simple moments of spontaneous pure joy in the midst of it all.

Jerrica KF Ching lives in the beautiful state of Washington and works as a licensed mental health counselor and Asian/Pacific Islander mental health specialist at Columbia Wellness.  She graduated with an MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling from George Fox University. She continues to be a guest lecturer on the importance of recognizing and acknowledging culture within the therapist-client relationship. Her research on racial colorblindness has been published in The International Journal of Social Science Studies.