Dancing with the...King?

I'll admit it. I'm hooked on all these dancing shows on TV these days. I love watching people dance well. Perhaps it's because I'm not a dancer, but I sit in awe at the moves that they are able to make their body perform and their ability to keep in perfect step with one another and in synch with the music.

It brings to mind our relationship with Christ. There are moments when we seem to be in perfect step with Him, and then there are times when we spin away from Him and have to make our way back across the stage to His waiting arms. Times when we are so close to Him and times when we turn our back on Him. Times when we try to lead and end up getting our toes stepped on.

As in dancing, only one partner can lead (and have you noticed that it is always the man? I won't even go there today). If we try to take the lead in this dance, it's going to result in three big X's and a loud buzzer - metaphorically speaking. Excellent dancers, the ones that win it all, are ones able to follow their partner's lead. The lead partner doesn't have to do anything that is visible to the audience to guide the other; the slightest touch guides their partner effortlessly around the floor. There is an invisible, but powerfully evident, connection that remains even when they are on opposite sides of the stage. That's how our relationship with Christ should be - it should be evident at all times who is guiding us, even when others cannot see His gentle hand.

Following the lead in dancing requires trust. I caught a few scenes from Dirty Dancing the other night and as they are practicing lifts, Johnny says to Baby, "Now, you'll hurt me if you don't trust me, all right?" They practice and practice, but she just can't get it - until the final scene of the movie. The essence of following Christ is trust. Do we trust Him when He says, "All things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose?" Do we trust Him when He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you"? Do we trust Him when it feels like we are all alone and our life seems to be falling apart?

If we want to dance with the King, we have to follow His lead and allow Him to guide us through life. We have to be willing to run to Him with reckless abandon and throw ourselves into His arms with complete trust, knowing that He will be there to catch us and lift us up.