I Hope You Dance

Here is an excerpt from "The Divine Embrace: An invitation to the dance of intimacy with Christ" by Ken Gire, Tyndale 2003. I hope you enjoy...and I hope you dance. cdj

Dance lessons would help, wouldn't they?
But maybe it's not so much lessons in dancing we need as lessons in loving, because the Christian life is about intimacy, not technique. The Lord of the dance doesn't want us worrying about our feet. He doesn't want us wondering about the steps ahead. He merely wants us to feel the music, fall into his arms, and follow his lead.

There are places he wants to take us on the dance floor, things he wants to show us, feelings he wants to share with us, works he wants to whisper in our ear. This is what the divine embrace is - an invitation to a more intimate relationship with Christ, one exhilarating, ennobling, uncertain step at a time.

We have a choice, you and I. And it's a choice we make every day, throughout the day. The choice is this:

We can dance.
Or we can sit it out.
If we dance, we may step on his toes. And he may step on ours. We may stumble and bump into other people. We may fall on our faces and make fools of ourselves. People may talk, they may avoid us, they may even ridicule us.

If you fear those things, you may want to sit it out.
If you do, you won't have to worry. You'll be safe in your seat along the wall.
You'll also miss the dance.
More importantly, you'll miss the romance.
At some time or another, I have chosen to sit it out. Fear was a big reason. Fear of the attention it would bring - and perhaps the criticism. Fear of embarrassment and possible estrangement. Fear of not being in control of my life, my career, my future. Fear of being led to places that would be uncomfortable, even painful.

There are two things I have learned from the divine embrace.
That perfect love really does cast out fear.
And that I would rather dance poorly with Jesus then sit perfectly with anyone else.