Gospel Dance
I have always admired those who can dance beautifully. They can twirl, jump, and move to the music flawlessly. When you go to a ballet you sit there and watch as they move together telling us a story. We can conclude when watching a ballet though that that was not their first time dancing. Those moves that they strung together to tell us a story was not the first time they performed it nor did they have it perfected the very first time of trying. It took time, dedication, love, and a desire to grow to be the best dancer possible.
In the same way, each day we as Christians are to live out the gospel daily. This is not easy, it takes hard work and a dedication of continually preaching the gospel to ourselves. It requires us dying to ourselves daily and focusing our eyes on Christ. Through the gospel we can be reminded daily where our hope lies, and why we can give God glory in all times.
Having two kids under two can be challenging. I am pulled in multiple directions during the day by the demands of the home, our church plant, and the kiddos. By 9:00PM, I can barely keep my eyes open to watch the rest of the Red Sox game with my husband. If I don't get my almost two-year-old daughter's crayons right when she wants them so she can color, we are on the verge of a tantrum. Or if I don't feed my 8-week-old son right when he gets hungry, he begins to scream until he gets what he wants. These small moments in the day can change our emotions and attitude instantly. These small moments can affect the rest of our day and how we are reacting to others and more importantly how we are glorying Christ. Should we let these moments define us? The answer is "no". But how often do we allow these moments to do so? How often do I allow my daughters "terrible two" tantrums affect me to the point that I am sinning? Instead of showing her grace and correcting her in a loving way, I can be short and agitated. How often am I short and rude to my husband because "the kids were terrible today"?
Instead of letting these moments define us, we are called to focus on Christ and His goodness. How then can we focus on God and His holiness in those moments rather than our selfish desires? By doing the "gospel dance". What exactly does a gospel dance look like? Well, it is us recognizing God's holiness in comparison to our sinfulness. Seeing our sin in light of the gospel and then taking it before Christ and seeking reconciliation with those around us. The gospel dance requires three moves that take practice and a desire to be more like Christ each and every day. They are:
- Repent
- Believe
- Love
We must repent of our sinful thoughts and actions in that moment and ask God to forgive us. Realizing we did wrong can be hard. We are prideful human beings so the idea of humbling ourselves before the Creator of the world is not in our nature. We humble ourselves when we realize who Jesus is in comparison to who we are. We realize we need His grace every second we are alive–even in the smallest moments during the day. We must believe in the goodness of Jesus and the hope that we have in Him. We must remind ourselves that God is sovereign and even though we may not understand how this moment can glorify Christ, He does. All He asks of us is to trust Him and lean on Him in those moments. The last move of the dance is love. Because we believe in the gospel and the goodness of Jesus, we are called to show love to those around us. Most of the time this requires us humbling ourselves and apologizing for our sinful actions. This can be hard and uncomfortable, especially when we have to humble ourselves before our spouse or children. However, what better way to teach the gospel to our children? The Lord has blessed me with an awesome husband and two beautiful children so at the end of the day rather than being frustrated in those moments I should be praising the Lord for the blessings He has given me. So the next time your child has pushed your last button or you are frustrated at your husband for the smallest thing, don't forget to dance.
