I hear the melody, I feel the harmony
I will dance, yes I will so dance
But not now. I will dance when I’m done
Let me finish this, then I will have time
Enough to dance my heart away.
Don’t worry, I hear the melody
O don’t hurry, I feel the harmony
And yes, I promise I will dance
But when I am ready, not right now
And I will so dance you’d be shocked
That despite these inhibitions
I am such a dancer after all.
And we waited, and we hoped
For the dancer and the dance after all
But too late, she never made it
Gone before she was ready
And we never truly knew
If she could dance like she said
We never saw, we never knew
If she was such a dancer after all.
In the next weeks, I will be sharing excerpts from messages shared during the lunch of my last book, Fighting Monsters. The key text was taken from Romans 8: 18 – 39. As with the title, the message addressed our choices in dancing the various and often strange tunes that life plays via our circumstances. The summary in one sentence is Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Additional thoughts have been added as I worked the script. May you be encouraged to dance with grace, the tunes of your own peculiar circumstances.
Some radio shows require callers to request some special tunes they wanted to enjoy or for a loved one. Like the radio stations, life is always on play. Unlike radio stations though, it does not call us to request our favorite numbers. Life chooses the tunes to play for each of us. And we are expected not just to listen, we are supposed to dance. Some refuse to dance. Some dance shyly and halfheartedly. Some are saving their best dance for some time in the future. But having observed the way the young and the old are snatched by death that exploits accidents, sudden and prolonged illnesses, terrorism, and the like, I have learned that losers are not only those who refuse to dance. Those who save their best for the last belong in that club too.
Yes we believe that we will live long and well. We long to live to see our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Those are good desires but the truth many of us fail to tell ourselves is that life is not just about us. Life is not run by our desires. God made us, God owns us, and God has the final say. There is no profit in disputing that it is God’s will for you to live over a hundred and twenty years – that’s fine. Just have this at the back of your mind: God has a purpose for each of us and when that purpose is served, whether we agree or not, ready or not, home we go. Our timing is not God’s timing so it is not about how long we live but how well we lived. How well we served that purpose. Also keep in mind that those being called home are neither any more nor less righteous, sinful, zealous, and faithful than those alive. Put all that together and the message is clear: the time for your best dance is now. Not tomorrow – tomorrow is not guaranteed. Not when things getter better- there will never be a convenient time. Not later – life is now not at forty.
Life is now so live it! Don’t wait for tomorrow, live your best today. Dance your best today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Those who wait for tomorrow never make it. Those who make it get there too late and too spent to dance. We never witnessed their dance so we never really can tell if they truly could. We never really can tell how well if they could. The only ones we know and can tell are those we see dancing today. Some are not very good dancers but they are dancing and that says a lot. Some have learned to dance better over time that now they are expert dancers. Some dancers have exited the stage and left us with memories of their gracious dance moves. Yes, there are many today waiting for things to slow down, for life to be a little more convenient, for more time, more money, that promotion, that transfer, that expectation.
It’s good to be hopeful. Hope is the fuel of life. It is not good to suspend your life in hope – that is not living. Hoping is living one day at a time, making the most of what is while waiting for that which is to come. I have learned to live, one day at a time. Sometimes it is fun. Sometimes it is sad. But I am living, enjoying all I can, making the best of whatever life serves me. Yes, I am dancing, one day at a time, on every stage life sets me. I truly hope you are living. I really hope you are dancing. If not, it must be time to dance with me my friend. Dance along to the tunes of life.
Glory!