Rhythms of Grace

I WILL NOT dance in public.

That was one of the promises I made to my wife early on in marriage. If you saw me dance, you would know why. It’s fairly easy to make the comparison of my dance moves with those of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Elaine, on the hit show, Seinfeld.

The thing is, I love to dance. I dance like the adage encourages; I dance like no one is watching. And the chief concern my wife has is that my body is stiff and my moves are forced. I’m like the rusty tin man before he uses the oil pump in the Wizard of Oz. I want to dance like those who have mastered the Robot Street Dance Style, but my robot is short circuited.

I am not smooth and rhythmic. In fact, I’m pretty sure Will Smith would tell me the same thing he told Kevin James in the movie, "Hitch" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50YQeugOMOw.  “This is where you live. This is your home.”

To make matters worse, my wife, Camille, danced for the first 18 years of her life. Dancing is as natural to her as walking or breathing. It is truly a thing of beauty.

And there is a sense in which the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been dancing in perfect harmony for all eternity. There is grace and fluidity in their motion. And part of becoming who we were created to be is learning how to dance. You can’t force it. You can’t white knuckle discipleship and just try harder. You have to learn to hear the music that is the soundtrack of the universe. You have to feel it in your bones. You have to feel it in your soul. You have to learn the way of Jesus.

Listen to Jesus’ words for those who are tired of trying to learn to dance.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Matthew 11:28-30 [MSG]