I Hope You Dance

Have you ever noticed with small children how natural dancing comes. Our 2 yr. old granddaughter begins to move as soon as she hears music.

When I searched the Bible for verses about dancing it seemed that dancing was a celebratory custom. Being raised a Baptist, dancing was definitely not a part of my childhood, except for a year of tap and ballet when I was about 7. And since I was definitely not ballerina material, my parents looked for other interests for me thereafter. 

Psalm 30:11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 

Psalm 150:4

Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Although, I read this and know that dancing is a good thing, since I wasn't accustomed to it as I grew up, I'm not really comfortable with it now. But I can honestly say that I feel like I'm missing out on something. We have mourned the fact in our church that as a people we have lost the ability to celebrate. We don't know what it truly means to come together and have a real celebration. Dancing was just part of what they did during Bible times to "make merry", but I think it was an important part.

A few years ago when our kids were teens at home they told us that some of their home-school friends met with a group of senior citizens in town for square dancing. We decided to go as a family and it was so much fun. Later on, our children started doing some ball room dancing. Most of the teenagers and young adults in our church enjoy dancing and I am hopeful that may be one day in the not so distant future, dancing can once again become part of our celebrations. 

In Ecclesiastes 3 where it speaks of a time for everything, it says that there is ..."a time to mourn and a time to dance..."