In spite of the Depression, or maybe because of it, folks were hungry for a good time, and an evening of dancing seemed a good way to have it. —Lawrence Welk
I marched our church right into 2007. Then we got caught in a crossfire of our own making, as our congregation faced its inner turmoil. Our church stopped growing numerically and spiritually as the body struggled to get along. There was a disagreement amongst the leaders on how the disciple-making march should be executed.
I was preaching scared in those days, worried about what certain people would think. As a result, my preaching lacked passion and power. I told Libby, my wife, three times during that season that I was resigning. But I didn’t…
In retrospect, I’m convinced that God wasn’t surprised by that mess, He knew our struggle would get us to stop marching and start dancing.
Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing… (Psalm 150:1-4)
God will make us dancers one way or another, and if He has to use pain, He’s okay with that.
Whether it’s experiencing a dying marriage, getting cut from the team, getting rejected by your dream college, getting a call from your oncologist, or clicking on that website one more time, God knows the pain is an invitation into the dance.
Father, the pain in my life is… well painful. I feel it, I live with it and I want it to go away. While I’m here, in this place, please teach me the dance. Amen.