I Hope You Dance

As I was growing up and school dances became the norm for something to do, I began begging two weeks in advance so I might possibly get a “yes, you may go” from my parents. All my friends simply took “going to a dance” for granted, but I had to beg. More often than not, the answer I received was a firm “no.” Needless to say, I never had a father-daughter dance with my dad and that has made me sad on occasion. One such occasion was when I viewed the scenes in the movie, CORAGEOUS, where first the daddy said “no” to his little girl’s invitation to dance and she proceeded to dance alone with empty arms. Later he pretended to dance with her…with empty arms around the memory of his daughter.

Our church has annual talent shows and this year was no exception. Yesterday, as I enjoyed all the talent, “Minnie Pearl” caught my eye more than once. Little Ms. Leona Wimberly, who was recently widowed, sings, smiles and enjoys her life in Christ! I knew for a fact that she had just returned from numerous funerals out of town, yet she was smiling and enjoying herself immensely…as she always does. I love the way she chooses Joy over sadness in her life. How? Her eyes are fixed on Jesus for her guidance in life and He is her eternal Joy. When she sat down two seats away from me, we exchanged pats on the knee and I told her I loved her hat! {{wink}} She beamed and said “thank you!” When an instrumental group began to play an old gospel hymn, she let it be known by those around her that she wanted to dance. After a while she asked me to dance, I jokingly said, “Will you be the boy or the girl?” She didn’t hesitate to say, “The boy,” fully knowing that would make it easier for me to be her partner and respond to her request. Then the music ended. I thought to myself, should the same occasion arise, I will choose to dance with Ms. Leona. We sat there enjoying the talent show as more music and laughter followed. Then it happened. The same group as before began to play the closing gospel song. We were all seated and Ms. Leona stood up with her arms extended and began to dance in place. We exchanged glances and she smiled that invitation to me, again. I stood up, took her hand and escorted her to a large area where we began to dance. Still smiling as we danced, she said, “uh-oh everyone is looking and that fellow doesn’t like this!” I leaned over and whispered to her, “It’s ok…there will be glorious dancing in heaven!”

May I share with you...

"DANCE WITH GOD"
~Author unknown

"When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE.

When I saw "G," I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i." "God, "u" and "i" dance. God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you on this day and every day. May you abide in God as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life. This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached. If God has done anything for you in your life, please share this message with someone else, for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another.

AND I HOPE YOU DANCE!"

Captured in His reflection,