Learning to Dance

Having almost finished reading Brian McLaren’s book, “The Story We Find Ourselves In,” I highly recommend it—par excellent! Wow! I have been soooo blessed reading his fresh ways of telling the old, old story, the story that never grows stale. The following excerpt is just too good for those of you who won’t read the book to miss: “Kincaid, instead of talking about prayer, why don’t we just pray, right now. Would that be OK?” “Here in the garage? Well, OK, sure—but I feel kind of like a junior high kid at a dance. Like, I’ve never danced before, at least not in public, but maybe I should get out on the floor and try” (page 143).
      I wonder just how many of the blessings and thrills of being His Bride we have missed (and continue to miss) because, well, because we feel like the junior high kid who, having never danced before (at least not in public), finds himself at the prom, wanting so desperately to dance, but feeling so insecure and so self-conscious that he never even steps onto the floor.
        Just for the record, I was that kid. Oh, I wanted to dance, I really did but I had been convinced that “genuine” Christians do not dance, to do so, I was told, was to stir all kinds of sinful, ungodly emotions. Because I really wanted to be a “genuine” Christian (as if there were some other kind), I made it my business never to dance, or to let anyone know that I even wanted to dance. Consequently, to this day, I cannot dance, not the kind you do to waltz music, or jitterbug music, or rock and roll music—my brain and my feet simply will not connect! Some things are hard—very hard—to unlearn!
      Now, do not take this to mean that I will never learn to dance because I just might fool you! Sometimes old folks like me get a second wind, another chance at youthfulness, a new courage, so do not write me off as having two left feet! Actually, down deep inside, I think I would be good at it because I am such a romantic, anyway (if that has anything to do with dancing).  To tell you the truth, based on what I remember seeing, I think it would be a little bit (maybe a lot) on the fun side to have some of those “sinful, ungodly” dancing emotions that I, apparently, missed in my first “youth,” stirred up. Oh well . . .  
     Anyway, I said all of that, so I could say this: there is another kind of dancing that I really love (not to be bragging but I think I am pretty good at, at least much better at it than I am at the other). It is a kind of dancing that is not done to typical music but to the music of the gospel (and I am not referring to gospel music). I am referring to the music of the heartbeat of Jesus, the Jesus who danced with Peter, Thomas, Nicodemus, Lazarus, the thief who hung beside Him, and, especially, (really, especially) Mary Magdalene, in the early morning hours of the day of His Resurrection! He purposely met her there, alone, for that last dance, the dance that just might have precipitated the most exhilarating, spine-tingling moment of His life. You see, I think Jesus, the man, loved her and really wanted her to be his wife, probably more than we will ever know, but He also knew that in order to be her Savior, He could not have her as his wife, until, well, until first, He was her Savior and the most difficult part of that journey was over. It was Resurrection Morn! All He had left to complete His mission was one final step—the step Home, from whence He would call her unto Himself. This last dance is proof enough for me that Jesus could not take that final step without giving His beloved Mary an opportunity to taste what she had so longed for—to dance with Her Beloved, Precious, Husband! WOW! Some things are simply worth waiting for—period! I might add this, though it may make you nervous: I am convinced that Jesus walked away from that moment, dancing to the music of His own heart beat! Love will do that to you, you know, and there is no dancing like the dancing that is done to the music of His heartbeat!
                You see, it was seeing this dance, Jesus’ last dance with Mary, that stirred my heart, not to sinful, ungodly emotions, but to yearn to dance to the music of the gospel—the good news of Jesus—and as I yearned, He took the lead, led me out onto the floor, and taught me how to dance to the music of a new song.  Am I nervous? Hell, yes! But remember: I have never danced before, not to mention that I have always believed that doing so stirred up sinful and ungodly emotions! I am learning though, and it is so much fun!!