Shall We Dance?

Four or five years ago I led a women’s retreat with this theme- SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. (Don’t tell FOX TV.) There were women who were reluctant to attend because they thought we were going to make them waltz or line dance or do some “worship dance.” So much for the power of metaphor. The subtitle of the retreat was, “Learning to partner with the Holy Spirit in a fresh way.”

I thought about that this morning as I was reading Alicia Britt Chole’s powerful devotion from her book Forty Days of Decrease. No, it’s not a diet book. It is a powerful Lenten journey. Anyway, Miss Chole says, “To dance when we do not know the steps requires us to value our Partner above our performance. To dance in the dark demonstrates a lavish display of trust.”

This beautiful picture gives new meaning to the truth of Psalm 37:23 "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. "(NLT) I am the child of a Marine, who was the best cadence counter in the Corps according to his men. I guess I had subconsciously thought that God’s direction of our steps happened like that. And well, sometimes it does. Sometimes we need the uniformity and discipline that a Marine Sergeant produces with his rhythmic cadence chant.

Just now though, in these days of uncertainty, I am learning to look into the eyes of my Partner and trust His lead. I feel big and clumsy but He is calling me to the dance floor. I think of a scene from Dance With Me. If you’ve seen the movie you know the one I mean. Richard Gere, looking dashing in a tuxedo, comes up the escalator at the posh department store where his wife works. He offers her the single red rose he is carrying and asks her to dance. She says, “I don’t know how.” He says, “Ya, you do. We’ve been dancing together for 19 years.” She protests, “I don’t know the steps.” “I’ll teach you.”

I don’t have a theological construct for approaching the latter days of my life alone with unfulfilled

desires. I don’t have a huge faith that is helping me negotiate not having a full-time job, only a full-time dream. What I DO have is a Partner who tenderly calls me to the dance floor and He knows the steps. Yes, I am awkward but He is such a good teacher.

Watch the clip on youtube and let the Holy Spirit romance you out of your safe theological chair into the mystery of faith.