Let's Dance!

Arden and I love to dance. Early in our marriage we took dance classes with a group of friends at a club and steakhouse in Larson, ND. We had just moved to Noonan and taken a class on Couple's Communication at our church with many of these same couples. We formed lifelong friendships with these couples and found lifelong enjoyment in dancing. Our favorites are fast waltzes and two steps but we also learned how to polka, schottische (sp?) and tango. What fun it was to have a night away from our young family and to make new friends. Now the challenge is finding good music to dance to and to have the energy to stay out that late since most dances don't start until 10pm!

We are familiar with the saying  "Dance Like No One's Watching" but that is hard to put into practice. Lee Ann Womack says it well in her song "I Hope You Dance"

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance

I hope you dance (Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance (Where those years have gone?)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance!

One of my favorite authors, Joyce Rupp, also says it well:

"Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with abandon." 2 Samuel 6:14  I ask myself: Do I do anything "with abandon" before my God? Have I ever been that wildly enamored of and grateful for this Gracious One's presence in my life? Does my heart sing with joy? Do my feet lift in happiness? Why is it, I wonder, that I more often pray about pain and troubles than I do about joy and delight? I know my laughter and my enjoyment of life can be as much prayer as my solemn and somber moments of reflection. King David's enthusiastic response to God has reminded me of this. Today I will look for something to dance about in my prayer and in my life.

©  Joyce Rupp, God's Enduring Presence Down 5.6# this  month and I feel like dancing!