Tango?

David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. --2Samuel 6:14-15

Hi, my name is heidi, and I am a big fan of Dancing with the Stars.

I admit it: Monday night rolls around, and there I am, this woman who watches very little television at all, parked in front of the television, cross stitch in hand, ready to watch, to laugh, to boo Len-- the whole nine yards.

And then last week someone sent me this:

I mean, you would think it was like they knew me or something. Sheesh!

So, of course, I had to start thinking about life . . . and dancing . . . and me.

Lots of choices, really, of which dance to dance.

Some days are Viennese waltzes, smooth and flowing, head held high, neck elegant. The gentle yet firm hand of the Almighty steering me where he would have me go, our movements in perfect unison.

Yeah, some days. I love a waltz-- but those days are not as often as they should be.

Some days-- more like a tango. Focused, deliberate-- hand-in-hand with the One who would show me where to go and not just guide me, but lead me firmly and fearlessly. And we look so-- serious! 

There are other days, of course, rumbas and foxtrots-- and you can probably add to the list. Maybe even an occasional chicken dance or hokey pokey.

But here is what all these dances have in common:

God leads. Every dance, no matter how simple or complex, all I need to do is follow the lead of the Lord of the Dance.

And even more fun? In all my genuine years of "real" dancing, what the woman quickly discovers is that her partner is there largely to make her look good. Oh, sure, he has his solo moments. But when they are partnering? All about the girl.

God does this one so well. You can just feel the love in that gaze, the deep affection in that touch. God just loves when we come to the dance. And God makes us look soooo good when we let God lead.

How can we not be filled with joy? Because even when we misstep-- and we do misstep-- when it comes time for the scores, when we stand before the judge-- it turns out we have been dancing with the Judge all along. But instead of pointing up each foot fault, each raised shoulder or teensy rhythm error, God sees how well we have followed, how committed to the dance-- and scores his followers with a single word:

Perfect. Perfected in love and grace by the one who is, himself, perfect.

How. About. That.


Thank you, Lord God, for giving us a reason to dance through life, with joy in our hearts and peace in our soles-- er, souls. Amen.