You turned my wailing into dancing; you
removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing to you and
not be silent.
Let them praise God’s name with dancing and
make music to Him with tambourine and harp for the Lord takes delight in His
people; he crowns the humble with salvation.
So he got up and went to his father. But while
he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion
for him: he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Parable
of the Prodigal Son)
One of my favorite TV shows is “Dancing with the Stars”. As I watch from week to week, it amazes me to see the improvement each celebrity exhibits as he or she becomes more confident in themselves and their ability to execute the dance with their professional dance partner. Some celebrities possess a natural ability to dance while others show more awkwardness. But even the most awkward celebrity shows progress as their professional dance partner guides and leads them through the steps during their daily practices in an attempt to put their assigned dance performance together.
As I reflect on my life, I view it as a dance with God. At times, it has been as smooth and graceful as a Viennese Waltz while at other times it has been exuberant and joyful like the Lindy Hop or Jive. Still at other times, I have allowed my anger and haughtiness towards God to resemble the Paso Doble or take the form of the freestyle dance when I wanted to throw out all the rules and do things “my way”. Through the years, I’ve even allowed myself to drift away from God’s arms, all the time knowing, God’s arms would be open wide and ready to accept me back into His loving and guiding embrace at a moments notice.
Prayer: Dear God: Thank you for being my dance partner in life and, ultimately, in death. Open my heart to feel your guiding hand each day as we move together through our ups and downs and joys and sorrows. May my trust in you increase daily knowing you have a plan for my life if I just will take notice and feel your gentle, guiding touch. Amen
Patty Niemann (reprinted from October 2009)
Great devotion Patty. Love your music analogy.
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