I have always been fascinated by the elegance of dancing. As part of a generation whose strongest claim for coordination is country line dancing, to watch an entire room of men and women immaculately dressed and spinning together is enchanting. The dances of past generations are most literally an art form as they flow to the music, perfectly in concert with one another.
Oh, how I wish my dance with the Lord were always like that. Something like a waltz or foxtrot, elegant and romantic and perfectly in step. He would lead and I would follow, guided left, right and around by the slightest change in His direction. In truth, most days I would even take a cha-cha. Some of the time we may not even be facing each other or touching but at least we are in sync. At least I would be imitating Him and appear to have some idea what I am doing.
And you know what? Sometimes this actually does happen. It is an incredible feeling when the Big Guy and I are coordinating our steps and I enjoy every syncopated second. It’s what we were designed for and it is definitely what I aim for. However, today is not about the days of victory when we are truly able to set ourselves aside and live wholeheartedly in the Spirit. Today is about how we dance on those other days.
The days when we are doing The Bernie. (Didn’t see that comin’ did-ya?)
That’s right. Every once in a while a day comes where we feel like our coordination with the Lord mimics a movie about a dead guy in a Bermuda shirt who is getting shuffled about by everybody but himself. We’re out there lookin’ like fools, not thinking for ourselves and letting the forces of the world dictate how we respond. We become puppets to our emotions and those of the people around us rather than being guided by the Holy Spirit. Bernie days are a mess.
In all honesty, most Bernie days could probably be avoided. I tend to head out of the house doing the “Bernie-lean” when I don’t take time to center myself in Jesus and have made a habit of letting my self-care drop below critical levels. Bernie’s problem in the movie is that he is dead. There is no life in him to direct his mind, his steps, or keep his arms from flopping to the side without purpose. Albeit a ridiculous pop culture example, this is quite literally how silly we must look to the Lord when we figure we can just hop out of the house on our own power alone without His lifeblood in us.
We cannot, and are not supposed to, walk through this life on our own. We may be able to fake it for a while but eventually, we will realize that without God’s guidance the world will take us by the hand and lead us every which way but Home. So take off that Hawaiian shirt my friend and put on your finest. The King has asked you to dance.
Anne Rulo 