I Hope You Dance

i hope you danceMatthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

I was chased today by a mother robin. She sat dutifully on her nest until my approach, when she flew off to the nearest tree branch. I couldn’t help but peek above the menagerie of straw and twigs to see two little bare heads snuggled into their new home. I knew better than to linger, so after seeing them I quickly moved on. Apparently not soon enough for the mother. She actually followed me down the sidewalk yelling at the top of her little bird lungs. “Stay away from my babies!” Have you ever been chastised by a bird?

I didn’t blame her. What mama doesn’t want the best for her offspring? When Josiah asked me what song I would like for the mother/son dance at his wedding reception, only one came to mind: Lee Ann Womack’s I Hope You Dance. “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted…Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance, and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.”

As fiercely as a mother hopes the best for her children, Scripture says our Heavenly Father hopes for more. Not only hopes, but gives—freely, lavishly, lovingly. He’s not a stingy God.  Every good and perfect gift comes from our Father. Even when we face trials and our experiences stray far from “good” and “perfect” God uses every hardship for our good ( James 1). He never promises to put us in a bubble immune from pain, but he does promise to use every inch of our sufferings to grow us into more than we could ever become through a life of ease.

So I hope Josiah chooses always to dance. I hope you do to. I hope you never choose to sit out even one song. I hope when God extends his hand to you, you’ll take it. You’ll let him lead you in the greatest dance of all time.

Yes, I hope you dance….

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