Box Step

On my wedding day, I danced with my father. I'd never ever danced with my father before so I wanted it to go well. The song I'd selected was "Mother Father" by Musiq, which is a sweet song about thanking our parents for all they've done. It's a very simple 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 box step kind of song. When we rehearsed it, I told my dad all he had to do was step to the beat, turn and repeat. As we danced it was clear we had the same vision in mind- stay on beat, look like we knew what we were doing, enjoy ourselves, and don't step on each other's toes! We accomplished those goals beautifully.

I am all about planning your work and working your plan. So this morning I am planning my vision and direction for 2010. Some of the things I want to focus on are personal growth, finances, Career choices (capital C makes it more grown-up), and having fun. I listed out those high-level things and then itemized various sub-areas I wanted to target by quarter. I will resist color-coding, this time. Yes, it is a sickness, but a very effective one. So anywho...

I was getting a little overwhelmed trying to sort it all out. So I wanted to "first" spend some time praying about God's perspective on those areas (after I'd already listed all of them out, mind you). But as I began to think about what to pray, suddenly I had a soft sweet daydream of myself dancing with God. He gently took my hand and He spoke to me, you haven't had a "Career" in 10 years. Why are you so bent out of shape over having one now? 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3... You haven't ever had excessive amounts of money tucked away, but you've always had enough and have enjoyed life abundantly. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3... Yes there are some character traits that need to be worked on, but who said I think all the things that bother you are so bad? 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3... If you do get "too old" to do [fill in the blank], who said I felt [fill in the blank] was what I wanted to accomplish with your life anyway? 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3...

And suddenly I realized that the song I have playing in my head may not be the song God has in His head. So no matter how much I stay on MY beat, we wouldn't be dancing together. It was liberating. And you know, God has been dancing with me all my life. Sometimes I looked like I knew what I was doing and He smiled at me and enjoyed those moments with me. Sometimes I've stepped on His toes, but again He smiled at me and got me back on beat. And ultimately it's been beautiful.

So for 2010, I just want to dance with my Father.