Where He leads...
It is all about the dance! The dance known as Chicago Stepping. The dance that evolved throughout history to its present ever-changing format. It is a beautiful dance and
it’s one that I set out to learn. Now this journey began with excitement at the possibilities. I remember seeing couples dancing and I would think to myself “I want to learn how to dance like that!” I mean the ladies looked so graceful and feminine, I wanted to glide across the floor! Now, I learned very quickly that when one is an over thinker, when one analyzes everything before they proceed, they are going to struggle with this dance! This is a dance of feel
ing. I had to reason every step, every move, count it out with precision. I had to memorize which way to go, what to do, get the pattern, know the moves, rehearse! As I approached each partner, I had all these moves in my head, all these potential combinations. So, whatever move my partner threw at me! I would be ready! Did I mention that this is a dance of feeling?
One evening I was asked to dance by a gentleman who was from Chicago and was visiting the city. We began to dance. I began to move, the patterns and moves I had memorized in my head. The patterns and moves that I had mastered. I was gliding! Or so I thought! This oh so smooth gentleman who obviously had done this dance all of his life, asked the question! “Are you counting?” Well, “yes” I said. He then said, “stop counting.” I must hav
e had that deer in the headlights look on my face. He gently said, “stop counting, listen to the music, and just flow with my lead.” What?! No count, no footwork pattern, no memorized moves! What?!?! Anxiety began to rear its ugly head as I proceeded to attempt to follow directions. I stumbled, I hesitated. He caught me; he was patient. He kept reassuring me, “I
got you…...just listen to the music, flow with the music, and follow my lead.” Now there is something very reassuring about a man saying, “I got you.” I thought this dance would never end…...then something happened. Something difficult, something challenging, something fearful, I yielded. I began to truly listen to the musicality of the song. I began to simply follow the lead, follow the direction that I was gently being lead in. We danced! We flowed! The music played! We were gliding! When the
dance was over, this patient confident gentleman thanked me for the dance. He smiled a smile of encouragement and reassurance. Encouraging me to forget about the formalities of the dance and simply trust the music and my partner and enjoy the dance.
On the drive home, the Lord laid a mighty revelation on my spirit. WE often find ourselves in a similar situation. We are overthinking, we are analyzing, we are planning out every detail. We are telling our God how in control we are, instead of yielding to our God and allowing Him to lead us through this journey called
life. We are not listening to His melodic voice and following His lead. Wow! What a lesson! It is all about our communication. It is all about discerning His voice. It is all about yielding to His direction. It is all about the dance of life and how we allow God to move through our spirit. When people say God speaks to us in many or different ways, He truly does! He spoke to me through the dance.
My dance partner in the video is Mr. Choc James. The blog writing is a reflection of a latter experience with another dance partner. Both gentleman, excellent dancers!