Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Dancing

During another Merkt family jam session (this entails some music and me dancing around like a fool while my kids gracefully dance in our living room) I noticed something. You see I got tired in the first 10 minutes and had to stop. I sat down and watched my 3 youngest raise the roof. What did I notice you ask? I noticed that while my 9 year old daughter did her pirouette she was staring directly at me, eyes locked on mine. While my 4 year old son did his super punch fanny shake he stared right at me, again his eyes locked on me. While my 2 year old daughter did her herky jerky super groove she also stared right at me. You see this was all for me. If I was not watching their dance did not serve a purpose. It was all about pleasing me. I managed to work a bobble head swivel staring at one of them with each beat giving them the feel I was watching their every move.

If only they were girded with their linen ephods I am sure they would have looked much like King David in 2nd Samuel chapter 6. Their eyes sparkled amazingly. Like David dancing before the Lord, they danced with all their might before their father. It was all to please me, and if I happened to get distracted and look away they lost their vigor.

What a picture that is. I could not help but feel inadequate to my own Father. If only I danced with all my might expecting God to be watching my every move and want nothing more than to please Him, to see His approval; how much more could I accomplish for Him? If I spent every breath trying to please Him, expecting Him to watch me; what could I accomplish? I could be doing things that really matter, things that will last for eternity. However the world manages to grab my leg. My dance becomes a struggle, a self indulgent zombie walk through Satan’s land. I find myself trapped in his games when I could be dancing for my Father and see His smiling face back at me. A Father who would never get distracted and look away; rather one who is faithful to the end.

Let us dance before The Lord (with or with out our linen ephods) trying to please Him with our every move, every minute of every day for the rest of our lives. How could we go wrong with that being our goal?