dancing is all there is left to do...

I remember when I was about 11 yrs old I took a trip with my grandmother to Galveston. For those of you who haven't known me very long…I love the water! I love to go to the beach. I went to the beach on a beautiful mid morning. But by the time we parked our car on the sea wall…it was pouring outside! I'd never seen it rain so hard before. Of course, I was the epitome of disappointment. I rarely got to see my grandmother or go to Galveston…and the one time I get both, it rains. Before I knew it, my grandmother jumped out of the car and began to run onto the pier and play in the rain. It didn't take me long to follow. I had so much fun that day! I danced and played in the rain until I couldn't dance anymore. The rain came so randomly and so did my grandmother's wisdom to get soaked in the rain. Later, on another trip to G-town I went to the beach with some friends and it stormed again. So what do we do? We play in the rain! It was so much fun! I ran up and down the streets and splashed my friends until the storm died down! On another occasion at youth camp it stormed on our favorite day of the week! So what do we do? You know where this is going….we played in the rain. Once again, I splashed and rolled around in the rain until the rain stopped!
I learned an important lesson from these times that I have kept with me ever since. A perfectly good day may seem to be ruined by a storm…but it can be turned around my attitude! I could have been bummed on those days and forgotten all about them. But because I chose to be free and make good out of disappointment…I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. I keep that principle with me today when life brings hard times and storms my way.
Last week I wept and wept before the Lord until I was completely out of tears. I laid my face in a chair at church and soaked it with my grief. But when I lifted my head and looked around, I remembered the lesson I learned as a preteen. Dance in the rain! Just dance! Do something that will cause me to look back on this time and smile! So I danced in my rain! It was storming in my heart! I didn't know my heart could be so broken and shattered! And yet it's in that position that the Lord wants me (everybody) to get up and dance. No matter what happens… God is still a sovereign God. He reigns and blesses us with His mercy! I always want to dance because of his faithfulness.
I danced until the storm inside my heart died down. So my suggestion to the world…Dance in your rain! Later you will look back on that moment and smile. You will remember the dancing more than the hurt!