Somebody Who Loves Me

“I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me”

Everybody got Whitney’s voice in your head now?

Many moons ago we had a ’70’s dance party for my 40th birthday party.
It was fun. Some dressed up in appropriate attire – for instance I have a picture of Steve Wood with slicked back hair and a fake mustache wearing an open silk shirt with chest hair sticking out… also fake.

I love to dance and I love Scott, but that night I had more fun dancing with Herb, cuz he could dance! The reason I wanted that kind of party was because dancing was such an important part of my teenage years.

My high school dances in the (late) ’70’s were filled with Earth Wind & Fire, The Commodores, Tower of Power & Bee Gee’s everything funk or disco.
We made soul trains and did the hustle in our bell bottoms and platform shoes – we were cool.
The dances were held in our sweaty old high school gym and they had to kick us out when the dance was over. There weren’t many wall flowers or people standing around, ‘cuz everybody danced.
Our proms were held at the Calhoun Beach Club overlooking Lake Calhoun.
Come on now…. how cool is that??

My life is different now and Lake Calhoun is now called “Bde Maka Ska”
I still love to dance and although I realize I am not as good as I thought I was, it’s still fun when I get the chance.

As I watched my husband, your pastor, dance around the platform on Sunday morning talking about dancing with Jesus, it spoke to me because I love the thought of dancing with Jesus. It also made me think and take a look at what my dance with Him looks like right now in my life.

There are times when I am a little girl standing on His feet as He takes me around the floor.
There are times I am a belligerent teenager pushing away, wanting to do my own dance, mad at His calling to me.
There are times I am an old lady that He has to hold up and support as I am weak and weary of life and the all that it brings.

So it made me think, what does the dance look like now?
Am I even there, or is He waiting patiently for me to notice Him?
Am I looking to Him to lead me, take me in His arms and guide me through turns, dips and spins?
Or am I just out of reach – His arms stretched out waiting for me to come into His embrace

Waiting for me to long for His leading
Waiting for me to look to Him for guidance
Waiting for me to trust Him completely with this dance
Waiting for me to be silent and listen for the beat of His heart

That’s the music I want to dance to now
The heartbeat of God
Oh that I could hear His heartbeat through the music
Step when He steps, spin when He spins me
And hold on tight to His mighty arms

What about you? Are you in a dance of righteousness with Him? Are you in step, following His lead?

“I will go up to the lookout tower.
    I’ll station myself on the city wall.
I’ll wait to see how the Lord will reply to me…”
 Habakkuk 2