In Step?

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” Psalm 32:8

“He will lead, and you, Sandy should follow.” And “He will lead and you must let him."            

These statements were some of the first remarks our new dance instructor shared with us a few weeks ago. I looked around and didn’t see anyone else and since she mentioned my name in particular, I knew this was for my benefit. Hmmm I thought, she must know that following another’s lead doesn’t always come natural for me! Lol  But I theorized, “Oh well, ok, someone else can lead me around the floor since I have no clue what I am doing!” That was all well and good until she mentioned that the majority of my dancing would be backward! I was tempted to dance my way back out the door but I was already there so I agreed to give it my best shot…which turns out isn’t very good when it comes to dancing…but I figured with enough practice I could learn nearly anything. (Insert deep sigh here.)

But since I have been gone far more than I have been in Virginia of late, we haven’t had a lot of time to practice together, so I was going over the steps in my head and trying to dance alone. Step. Step. Rock. Step. Step. Rock. (No doubt a funny sight!) It was in the midst of my “solo dance” (not ever to be confused with a “dance solo”  : ) that Papa began to speak to my heart that dancing is like the Christian life, because in it someone (WAY) bigger than us leads us around the floor of life! He also whispered “I will lead, and you, Sandy should follow. I will lead and you must let Me.” Wait; is there an echo in here??? But I answered, “Ok, Someone else (aka Jesus) can lead me around the floor of life too since sometimes I have no clue what I am doing there either!”  His one word answer was “Really???” and I knew our conversation had only begun.

You see on our very first lesson we spent a goodly portion of it with my husband, Lee pushing me around the dance floor, trusting that he wouldn’t step on me or let me run into anything. This was, well, awkward but not too dangerous since there wasn’t anything to run into at the studio…but at home it was a different story! In my house I knew there were things to run into because I had decided where to put them when we first moved in. And I found that I was no longer so willing to trust Lee’s judgment. Well, later that week, in my quiet time Papa spoke to me about this. He said “Just like in dancing, you are willing to follow My direction when you can see where I am taking you, but when your path is obscured or there are obstacles nearby you tense up and hesitate to go where I am leading you.” He also reminded me that in any dance, including (and perhaps especially) the dance of life there cannot be two leaders. Only one can lead and then the other will have to choose to follow…but of course the choice is mine alone!

So how about you? Where are you in the dance of life? Are you willing to follow His guidance? Or do you find yourself questioning the direction, tempo or melody that He has chosen for you? Do you easily yield to His gentle lead or are you only content when He guides you to places that you want to go, along paths that are void of obstacles, disappointments or difficulties?

You see the problem is if we are unwilling to follow our Father’s tender lead then the dance of life will cease to move to the unique melody that our Papa has “pre-wired” us for and the natural rhythm will be short-circuited and the “dance” itself for which we were each created will lose its graceful flow. And instead of a harmonious partnership, it will become a struggle for control, which makes for an unsatisfying experience for all the parties involved.
So do I have it all down? Not by a very looooong shot on the dance floor or in life! You see currently my steps on the dance floor are anything but graceful…in fact according to our instructor there is actually a technical term for this phase of dance that we find ourselves in…it’s called the “awkward dance phase”. Geeeee, really??! Tell me something I didn’t know? lol But I have also found much to my chagrin that in the dance of life I also struggle with some of the “moves” Papa has led me to. But although I hesitate at times with what He calls me to, I remain firmly in the “dance position” for I know that He alone is my perfectly qualified Instructor for every phase of this life; for He is the author of every single measure and stride!

I have also found that any dance is far easier when an experienced instructor is guiding me across the floor and because I trust in their ability, I can relax and let them lead the way. Well dear one, though we may find ourselves in the “awkward phase” of learning, we have a Father who is intimately experienced in this brief dance of life and He longs for us to relax (trust), lean in (draw close) and follow His lead (obey). Today, I pray that we each make the decision to follow our divine Instructor who gladly directs our every stride and brings us in step with the move of His precious Spirit!

 

Father,
 Sometimes this life seems filled with difficult circumstances, insurmountable obstacles and heart-wrenching disappointments…Please help us in the coming days to yield to the gentle guidance You generously offer us for this our dance of life! And when these difficulties come from out of nowhere may our ears hear Your clear voice leading us saying; “This is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 and may we trust the love that You have for us and that because of that great love, may we walk out this life with confidence that that guidance will never cease to lead us to be in step with You for all of our days! Amen