More To This Life

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;  You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.”  Psalm 30:11,12

I have always loved to dance.  I love the movement of arms and legs and body to music. I’m not saying I am a good dancer LOL! With the music flowing around you though it is a deeper participation in the music to move in the rhythm.  I was not a girl who took dance classes...not unless baton classes with a choreographed routine counts :). I just danced in my room to a record player. 

Dance as a teenager had the capacity for great sadness as it was rare for me to have a partner when other girls had partners.  But with age dance lost all the sadness and only brought joy.  Dancing alone is more about connecting to the music intimately.  

It became more about exercise than anything else in college.  Still enjoyable but with more purpose and less creativity.

Now in my older years I realized how the longing to dance never left me ...but I began again to see dance differently.  With two sons there have been many dances in the living room when they were little and thought I was the best mom in the world :). As they get older they don’t dance with me as much, but they smile when a summer rain comes on a hot day and Mom goes out swirling and dancing and laughing in the rain.  Or in the winter when snowflakes fall and I am outside twirling, I think they will remember the intense joy their mom had with life and the things God created and sent to her...like rain, snow, sons, husband, music.  

My husband is not a dancer but he has publicly danced with me twice (very special moments to me).  And as he has grown to know me through the years, he has acquiesced to my pleas to dance at home more often than not :)

I know as I age my knees will not bend as low and I can’t spin without risking vertigo, but today I danced and realized I have never danced alone really.  My dance has truly always been with my Lord in the joy of the blessings He has given me.  The yearning to dance is just Him pulling me closer to Him and I will always love the closeness I feel when I am seeing God  in my life.  I rejoice in the Lord my God!  

When Jesus told the story of the prodigal son who returned home He told of the welcome home party with music and dancing ( Luke 15:25).  So I know that one day I will be able to dance in heaven in praise to Jesus for His love for me and His forgiveness of my sins!

Today I heard the whisper of God in movement of dance in music as I praised His Name for the blessings He has given me :)

“Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;  let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.  Let them praise His Name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbre and harp.”  Psalm 149: 2-4