"What would you like on your ice cream?"
"I'll take Oreo cookies and chocolate syrup, please!"
"You're a traditionalist, I see!"
As I pondered that statement I began piecing together the traditionalist puzzle she poured out of the box in the ice cream line that day.
By traditionalist did she mean predictable? Safe? Boring?
By being a traditionalist are you telling me that I can't be fun, brave, or spontaneous?
If I'm honest, I am guilty of often having a one track mind, thinking about the causes and effects of my decisions, and wondering about all of the if-then conditional statements of my life.
It's this linear model of thinking that often suffocates my mind from the spontaneity of those who view life in the circles of popcorn and cotton candy!
Yes, many of us have a preferred learning style, set of personality traits, and behavioral tendencies. But that doesn't mean that we're bound to a particular lane on this highway of life. We still have options and paths ready for us to explore.
When we start placing labels on people based on their race, background, or personality we hinder them from developing a more solid foundation for their own personal identity, purpose, and mission in life.
Is there anyone more of a traditionalist than the Creator of the universe?
God, who created everything under the sun, is unchanging making Him appear to be the most predictable, safe, and trustworthy source of all things known to man while simultaneously the most spontaneous, courageous, and limitless being in all the world.
And we find every one of those traits exhilarating and something to be admired.
Here's what I fear. That to hear the words "you're no fun" implies that our focus in life is that we're meant to be entertained. But more than being entertained I think we're meant to be involved in a mission.
A mission that in one moment may involve the exhilaration of spontaneity entering into the unknown spaces of life while simultaneously holding a pattern of peace and security because the master of our life's ship is standing firmly on the bow!
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