Back in the day, when I was younger, my definition of “a cool girl” included her ability to dance.
Oh my. I’d watch those cool girls at the dances in our school gym, and I marveled – yes, marveled – at their ability to make dancing look so effortless. And fun. And so cool.
I wanted to be cool too, so I practiced dancing at home in front of my bedroom dresser mirror before heading up to the school dance. (Please, someone tell me that you did this too.) Good grief. That was just plain … good grief.
My dancing skills were better suited for something that was choreographed. (And I use the word “skills” very loosely here.) Think cheerleading moves with no acrobatic efforts required. Or square dancing. Yes, square dancing. It was a big deal in Phy. Ed. back in the day.
A choreographed dance told me exactly what to do to get it right. I simply followed the directions. My focus was simply not to mess up the steps and not to look stupid. And I could show some personality in those steps.
Then there was the Hokey Pokey. Remember that dance? That was way, way back in the day. Usually done at birthday parties.
“You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out.
You put your right foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!”
This little tune gave us the dance move instructions while allowing us to “shake it all about” in our own way. That part made me feel … cool.
I wonder how they danced back in the Bible days. The Good Book tells us they did a lot of it, especially in worship and celebrations. In the Psalms, David tells us to “Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.” (Side note here: doesn’t it seem that dancing to a tambourine would look very different than dancing to harp music? You gotta’ love that variety.)
My faith journey is like a dance.
The life instructions I learn from good biblical teaching tell me which moves keep me in synch with loving God and loving people. And then my whole self needs to listen to the music and show up for the dance. That includes my attempts to find my own rhythm, my moments of dancing beauty, my bumbles and fumbles and awkward moments, missteps, and sometimes being the wallflower while I figure things out. It’s a dance of learning how to move faithfully. Not a dance of precise perfection.
Tap dancing is my favorite. It’s a dance that requires studying and practicing to do the steps well, and then bringing every part of my being into those taps and clicks. Just like life, and just like my faith journey, it calls me to bring my heart, soul, mind, and strength into the moment.
Our faith journeys are about movement. About listening. Learning. Growing. Building on what we know. Joining others in a circle or with a partner or in groups in school gyms. Each of us bringing our uniqueness into this wonderful dance of faith while committing to the Choreographer’s instructions.
Way, way, way back in the day, a wise man wrote a book called Ecclesiastes, reminding us that life is God’s gift to us. He wants us to find meaning in it, enjoy it. “There is a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
I am not a dancer. But God has called me to dance. To live. To move. To get back on the tap shoes and start tapping again when I’ve messed up.
It’s really a heart dance, isn’t it?
Let’s get out there and dance.
