Dance Step "E"

Book: When Wallflowers Dance: Becoming a Woman of Righteous Confidence

Author: Angela Thomas  A Springboard for "Dancing with the Lord" 

There is….a time to dance….Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NKJV)

The Message version of the concluding verse says it well---

You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance;

You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.

I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about you.

God, my God, I can’t thank you enough. (Psalm 30:11)

A KJV version whether "written on the tablet of one's heart" (Proverbs 3:3) or hanging at her backdoor, emphases "mourning turned into dancing" by Him.

Dance step “E” Extending & Encouraging

D eciding, Delving, Discovering  (Psalm 119: 139 & 160)

A ccepting & Attending (1 Thess. 2:13)

N oticing God’s Hand in ALL Circumstances (Genesis 50:20 & Romans 8:28)

C elebrating God’s goodness and being thankful (1 Thess. 5:18)

E xtending lessons learned during one’s own struggle as a way of Encouraging others. (Psalm 89:1)

Last week's Dance Step "C" dealt with celebrating God’s gooness in all aspects of life and giving thanks in all the "little" things. Big blessings tend to result as folks fill their heats with gratitude, which results in even more celebrating. 

Wrapping up the D.A.N.C.E. aspects of "Dancing with the Lord" included 2 movements for "E"----extending and encouraging. 

Extending = sharing one's story/journey/struggle with others. 

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, to all generations” (Psalm 89:1)

Encouraging =  (even above my fireplace)

An 10/8/09 letter from MAC survivor, Michèle  encouraged me to share my story with others---to extend the blessings I discovered in the middle of a cancer journey as a way to encourage others in the midst of their struggles. 

Teaching “dance lessons” this summer and celebrating Michèle's upcoming July 4th seven years of survival, I was reminded of the responsibility I had learned from her....(WORTH THE READ)

.....we all  have, as “household of faith” survivors of what ever tough place of hurt or painful struggle we have encountered, to stand at the top and call down to those still struggling to the summit.  Whether they’re emotional, physical, or spiritual, the mountains we’ve conquered are not ours to own, but ours to share.  

We might not always want to revisit the pain we’ve suffered or the crippling we’ve endured, but if we don’t offer them to others as a testimony of God’s sustenance and love, our fellow travelers may not have to courage to find their way to the top. 

My encouragement to you, Dotsy?  

Speak of the treacherous paths and looming precipices you’ve known, tell the story of your climb, the tale of your survival.  And when you’ve reached a place that is beautiful and stable and “breathable,” call down to those who follow and tell them of the strength that comes from surrendered weakness, of the peace that comes from vulnerable faith.  Tell them that you stumbled.  Tell them that you wanted to give up.  Tell them that you were bruised by doubt and battered by despair…but that you made it.  You.  Made.  It.  And the view from the summit of survival?  It’s priceless.

So......from my heart and above my fireplace, "I hope you dance" and tell others (extend to them) how the Lord orchestrated your dance that your words might to encourage them. ( TX Doris for the pic)