As most of you know, I’m in a show at a local theatre. We opened last weekend, so we’ve been having many late-night rehearsals and we’re all pretty exhausted. During one of these rehearsals, a bunch of us were silently waiting behind the curtain, and I noticed the little girl next to me was looking really sad. Her head was down, her arms were crossed, and she looked like she had been crying. I leaned over and whispered, “Hey are you okay?” She shook her head and said, “It’s the boys.” As I looked over at the other kids I could tell they had been teasing her, and they were already apologizing (they were good kids and weren’t trying to be mean), but she was still hurt and sad. So I took both her hands and started to dance with her. I spun around with her and twirled her, and by the end she was giggling, her eyes sparkling as she gave me a hug. It was just a short moment, but it impacted me because I saw a glimmer of what I want my relationship with God to be like. So often I have problems and things that hurt me, and I let them envelop and take control of me. But instead, what if I left my burdens at the feet of Jesus and danced with him, noticing and enjoying the good things he brings my way? God sees our troubles and will certainly take care of them. But I think sometimes he wants us to trust him enough to let our troubles go and delight in him in each moment. That little girl didn’t have to dance with me. She could have shaken her head and walked away. She chose to let the sadness go and enjoy the freedom and fun of the moment. So whatever crazy things this week might be throwing our way, let’s join together, leave the troubles and the stress in the hands of Jesus, and dance with him today. God is a God of joy. Let’s live in that joy today.
