Lord of the Dance

As I've thought about life with God, it can be in many ways like a dance. I've only been on the guy side of a dance so don't have experience with the following side. From a leading perspective, it's evident when a girl knows how to follow. As a queue is given to make the next move, a good follower will flow seamlessly to the next step.

In contrast, someone who is not a good follower sometimes tries to do her own thing which results in awkwardness on the dance floor. If she’ll allow herself to be led rather than making independent decisions, it's a much smoother experience for both. (This of course assumes the guy is a good leader)

Another aspect is that the more you dance with a person, the better you function and move together as a team. The various parts of the dance become more and more natural.

Similarly, in the dance of life, if we follow and allow God to lead us, it can be very natural and beautiful. You may not know what’s coming next but He will direct and lead you at just the right time into the next turn, step, or change in direction. The more you dance with Him, the more you’ll learn His queues and what He’d like you to do next.

When we try to make our own decisions, the dance becomes awkward. He will still dance with us but it results in a much different experience than He might have designed and can miss some of the beauty and mystery.

Throughout the dance of life, let the Lord of the dance lead and guide you in something beautiful.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Honor Your Father and Mother

"Honor your father and mother and mother which is the first commandment with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." -Ephesians 6:2-3

My mom is a great mama by any measure. She raised my brother and I during a 22 year maternity leave from her work as a school teacher. She's made thousands of meals, drove us to countless sports practices, music lessons, and church events. She celebrates when we have successes and helps talk through the tough stuff in life. Most of all she's our biggest prayer warrior and spends time talking with God on our behalf on a daily basis.

Something that has impressed me in addition to all of this is her honoring of her own parents. In their advanced years, health concerns have necessitated more assistance and she spends time with them multiple days a week, cooking for them, taking them to hair, dental, and doctor's appointments, filling prescriptions, helping with managing their house, and just sitting with them.

While she wants to spend time with and help them, it is certainly a sacrifice of time and energy. Retirement affords her the flexibility to do this but sometimes an elderly family member gets put in a nursing home without receiving visits very often and can be set to the side in their later years.

My mom's commitment to honoring her parents has been a great example of living out this passage from the Bible. She doesn't do it to receive recognition or accolades but I believe it pleases God when we honor our parents like she does. As we honor mamas around the world today, what's a way you can honor your parents?

As you think about that, listen to a song I wrote a couple years ago about mamas and share it with yours!


In pursuit of His best,

Andrew