Go Ahead and Dance

By Seema Bagai

“Instead, give yourselves
completely to God,
for you were dead,
but now you have new
life,”
Romans 6:13

haking off the last bits of sleepiness, I arrived at church Sunday morning. Upon entering, I was greeted by the electric guitars strumming, drums thumping, keyboard clanging, singers leading, and dozens of voices joyfully praising God.

This particular morning there was a young couple in the row ahead of me, with their son between them. The preschooler was standing on the chair, probably for a better view of the stage. As the music played and people sang, this boy danced. He bounced up and down, swayed to the beat, and waved his arms up and down like he was going to take off and fly across the room. I’m sure he didn’t have a care in this world, nor was he likely thinking about what the people watching him were thinking. He certainly wasn’t afraid of falling off the chair. As he danced, the boy’s father held his son’s hand or put his arm around him to keep the child from crash-landing on the floor in his exuberance.

As the music continued, my attention was drawn away from the lyrics on the screen to this child’s joyful performance and his father’s careful protection. My amusement turned to unhappiness as I thought, How unfair that I have to sit behind this father and child. It was a painful reminder of my singleness, of my lack of a husband and children. The longer I watched, the sadder I felt.

Then the pastor began speaking. His message was about changing bad habits and breaking free of things that control us. I, however, was still focused on the scene I had just witnessed and the longing in my heart for companionship and a family. Mechanically I filled in the blanks on the outline inside the church bulletin.

The pastor said we all needed to perform an “internal audit” and examine our lives carefully to find any thoughts that were interfering with our relationship with God. I sat straighter in my seat. “Give yourself completely to God,” he said. “God wants your whole life. Freedom comes from choosing God.” Those words, along with the dancing child, lingered in my mind as I left the service and drove home.

The next day, as I went to file the notes in my binder, I noticed the following verse. “Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life,” (Romans 6:13, NLT). During the sermon, I had circled the word completely. Suddenly, the scene from church made sense. The dancing child was completely immersed in the music. No matter what, he was going to dance. This child knew he was safe because his father held on to him.

I finally realized that scene in church was there to remind me, not of what I lacked, but of how much God desired for me to trust in Him. No matter what happens in my life, God will hold my hand. His arm will always be lovingly around me so I won’t fall, and I am free to live my life fully.

What if we were to start living like this child? Expressing our love joyfully to our Heavenly Father. Not being afraid to fall. Not worrying about what the world says about our actions. I think God would say to each of us, “Go ahead and dance.”