I Hope you Dance

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Lee Ann Womack sings a song entitled, “I Hope You Dance”. I am not much of a dancer, I move around in a chair, tap my foot and slow dance once every couple of years. Today, I was searching the web to research the word, “hope”. This song was a part of the search and so I listened and read the lyrics.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

Life is full of joys and sadness; seems the sad times stay with us far to long and joy stays only for the moment. A year like 2020 can leave us less hopeful than the day before. Life becomes more of a blur than an adventure. I hope we never lose that sense of wonder. Reading the Bible, praying and searching for God, leads us to even greater hope.

Romans 8: 24, 26, 28                        New Living Translation

We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 

In this country we have so much, we lose that sense of contentment. We struggle with having less, this brings about a feeling of unworthiness, eventually that leads us into despair. The desire to find fulfillment vanishes from our life and hopelessness breathes into our soul. Some solve this challenge with plain greed, but it never is enough.

In the second line of the song, “You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger”, yes, we have plenty of things, but do we have love, joy, and peace? If everything you owned today was gone, do you still have hope? Our life struggle is to become more, not to have more but become more, that is the hunger we must desire. Contentment is found in Jesus, but never be satisfied to only believe in Him. Hunger for Him each moment of each day.

Hebrews 6: 1, 3                                  New Living Translation

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. 

“May you never take one single breath for granted”, our bodies perform many functions that we never think about. What brings air into your lungs, what excites you to the point you may scream for joy? Where do you find motivation to mature? We learn so much each day and when God is involved do not miss a single chance to dance with God.

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20                              New Living Translation

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.

Since I have pulled lyrics from a song, allow me to pull a quote from one of my favorite movies, The Princes Bride. Prince Humperdinck and Buttercup are getting married and the impressive clergyman is performing the ceremony totally oblivious to the world of chaos around him.

Mawwiage is wat bwings us togeder today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dream… And wuv, twue wuv, will fowwow you foweva… So tweasure your wuv— 

I will translate if you have not seen the movie; Marriage is what brings us together today. Marriage that blessed arrangement, that dream within a dream… And love, true love, will follow you forever… So, treasure your love.

True love is complete, it is without fear, and full of acceptance. Love is present regardless of the chaos that surround us. Love was there before we were here, and love will be with us long after we are gone. We do not have the ability to understand true love without the creator of love, for God is love.

1 John 4: 7-11                     New Living Translation

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 

According to Britannica here is the meaning of Dance. The movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within a given space, for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or simply taking delight in the movement itself.

Once you have asked God into your life it is no longer the same, someone else has taken control. You look for God to provide direction which gives you the courage to live this life in joy, peace, and the strength to love others. Someone once told me an extremely easy way to remember how to spell guidance, (God, you and I dance). With God life is an expression, of emotion where we can take delight in each movement.

2 Samuel 6: 14-16              New Living Translation

And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him. 

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And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

King David danced, Michal sat it out, David was full of joy and Michal was full of contempt. Do not sit it out, Dance… God will take the lead