I'm pretty sure that after He created the world, as a part of His rest, He had the angels play some music and then He danced a jig over the beauty that is the universe (universes?) He had just hand-fashioned from nothing.
I'm also pretty sure that He danced another jig when He introduced Eve to Adam, because He was thinking, "You both reflect me--now just try and spend the rest of your lives trying to figure out how." I think He was laughing at that point, too.
There are other times that God danced, I just know it. I have a hunch that He always dances when someone responds to His invitation. How often does that happen?
I know He wants to dance with me. He is always holding out his hand, drawing me into breathtaking twirls, intimate spaces and even sometimes dissonant chords or missteps that always resolve into glorious harmony. I have only to take His hand and follow His lead. But usually I am too caught up in my own thoughts and cares that I don't see His hand or hear His voice of love welcoming me into His embrace.
Why is it so hard for me to recognize each moment as the next dance step--with Him?
Almost seven years ago, my parents gave me a book for Christmas by Ken Gire entitled The Divine Embrace. Gire uses the metaphor of dance throughout the book as a way to describe how Jesus relates to His beloved, and what that means during times of drought, hurry, hunger and joy. I re-read part of this book yesterday and realized afresh one of the reasons why it is so very difficult for me to enjoy the moment-by-moment spontaneity of the dance. Mostly, it's because I allow other voices (critics, peers, family, colleagues, perhaps even especially myself) to crowd around me on the dance floor and I lose sight of my Love. He never loses sight of me, though.
The beautiful thing about Jesus dancing is that He is a very persistent partner, and He is always ready to cut in.
