Come, Follow me...

“Come, follow me, Jesus said..." Matthew 4:19

I love to dance. I always have. When the right music comes on, my body just wants to move and groove to the rhythms. Recently Tom and I watched Dancing with the stars because he heard they were going to have sports figures as the contestants, one of which was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! The 71 year old, 7’2” basketball player! He didn’t do much dancing but he gave it his best shot and was a great sport about it. And I think they assigned him the shortest partner they had! At one point she was on the shoulders of another dancer and only then was she tall enough to face him for a couples dance move! I enjoyed watching the program and imagined myself (much younger of course) right there with them. I wished I could be a part of the show so I could be taught how to dance with style and grace, refining my current “interpretive” dance moves.

Lately, even before watching Dancing with the Stars, in my time with the Lord I visualize us dancing together. It is either on the beach or in a field of wild flowers in the sunrise or sunset. We don’t talk but just enjoy each other and He leads me in a wonderful dance.

In Dancing with the stars they have judges who critique the dancers and they told one of the contestants that she needed to stop trying to “lead”! They told her to just relax and trust her partner to lead her. This morning, as I was enjoying my dance with the Lord, I thought about this and about how important it was for the “follower” in the dance to just let go, relax and allow the leader to LEAD. Back in the day it was more common for couples to dance the Waltz, Tango, Rumba and Foxtrot which were much more popular then. Now days you have couples on the dance floor but they are doing different dances, dancing their own steps to the music, and sometimes not even facing one another. So, I think we have lost the art of “following”!

Once years ago I had an opportunity to dance with a professional Ball room dancer. All the ladies were in line waiting for their chance to dance with this man… including me! When my turn came I wanted to impress him with how good a dancer I was so I tried to “anticipate” his moves and because I didn't know how to follow, it resulted in resisting and fighting against HIS lead and the dance ended MUCH quicker than I would have liked. I was a bit embarrassed and disappointed and most certainly humbled! I wasn’t relaxed or paying attention to his ques or “following” his lead at all… and so the dance ended quickly and abruptly.

Tom brought up another good visual. The old movie dancers and actors Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. They were the most well-known and best dancers in the 30’s and 40’s. They could dance and make it look like it was the easiest thing in the world to do! But they had two different styles, they danced arm in arm and it was like silk… just as smooth and effortless as can be. But when they danced side by side, it was more of a “competition”, they both wanted to out-do the other!

As I think about Christian life, and dancing with Jesus, I think most of us are just so happy that Jesus is on the dance floor with us that we don’t “engage” Him in an “intimate” style of dance. WE like to be in control of our “moves”, dancing our own steps and trying to show off, hoping He will like what we are doing and compliment us on our funky and creative moves! While I don’t think that is necessarily “wrong”, I just think that we are MISSING an amazing opportunity to get closer to the Lord. To be drawn into His arms and to enjoy the strength and talent of the Lord of the Dance, and marvel at how graceful and easy this dance can be when we let HIM lead!!

As I continued to ponder this, I thought of Jesus’ words to the disciples “Come follow me…”! Isn’t that funny! His words can even be applied to a “dancing” reference! Then I thought about how our walk with the Lord is just like a dance! He say’s “follow me” but, just like in dancing, we don’t quite know how… or we might try to anticipate where His is leading us to show off, or see it as a competition.  Or we might be afraid to let go of control and prefer to just be on the dance floor with Him, doing our own thing. I was so used to dancing by myself in life that I developed a very independent way of doing things. Taking control and making things happen “my” way. But as I continue to walk this journey to know God He is teaching me to be more of a follower than an independent dancer. A GOOD leader knows how to move you with just slight and gentle pressure on your back with his hand. We need to learn the signals of course but once we do, He can lead us gracefully and effortlessly along life’s dance floor. But we have to relax and pay attention to His signals. It has taken me a long time, but I am learning to let go and trust the Lord of the dance and His leading in my life. I am doing less “independent” dances and more intimate dances with Him and learning to love the freedom of just “following”!

So… What does this look like in real life? How can you apply these dancing principles to your life with Him right now? Well, everyone is different and in different places on their journey, but God will meet us where ever we are, all we have to do is ask, and then take His hand and begin the dance. I do know that without TRUST we will not follow him where He desires to leads us. We may “say” we trust Him but when the moment comes and we have to place our lives in His hands we suddenly realize just how much fear, and how little trust we have, or don’t have. This is a really GOOD thing! It is only then, when we can see the fear and lack of trust, that we can actually DO something about it! This is a journey and each day offers you another opportunity to take a chance, take His hand and grow in your trust that His leading is true. He is so very kind and patient with us!

Would YOU like to move in closer and dance with the Lord? He is reaching out for your hand right now!