Dancing with God

(Note: This post will mostly be applicable to teenage girls. I'm sure you can find application even if you're not a teenage girl, but that's my audience.)

Girls are always looking for Mr. Right. That's why we love chick flicks (or chick books): there's always a seemingly perfect man involved. It was true in the 1800s when Jane Austen wrote about Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and it's true today, in the age of Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. There's a longing inside all of us girls for that one special guy, the perfect guy who loves us unconditionally and treats us like a princess. The one we can talk to about anything. The one who can solve all our problems. Wanna know a secret? That guy exists. The problem is, we're looking in all the wrong places. We look for the perfect guy among imperfect people.

The truth is, people are always going to let us down. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean we shouldn't love people. We should. But people are imperfect. To expect perfection from imperfect people is unfair to both sides, and it's only going to leave us disappointed. So what are we supposed to do? If this is true, all hope is lost, right? The perfect man isn't out there, and all our Prince Charming hopes and dreams are shattered... right? WRONG!

If there was ever a master of perfect, unconditional love, it's Jesus Christ. If there was ever a man who treated his bride like a princess, it's Jesus Christ. If there was ever a man we could talk to about anything, it's Jesus Christ. If there was ever a man who can solve every problem, it's Jesus Christ. See, Jesus is that perfect man, the one we've been looking for, our "Mr. Right." And yet, we find it so hard to be content with him until we find our earthly "Mr. Right." Why? It doesn't make any sense!

You might have heard the expression "Dance with God; He'll let the perfect man cut in." I love this analogy-- it's so perfect. Think about it. The dance is like life. Think of it like a waltz; the guy leads, and the girl follows his lead. If God is the guy in the dance of our life, we will follow His lead. We will submit to His will for our lives. 1 Peter 5:6 says, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." His plans are better than any of our plans could ever be, and if we'll only let Him work it in our lives, it'll be better than anything we ever dreamed. To be a good dance partner, we can't "step on God's toes", so to speak, and try to put our plans before His. But let's go a little deeper. Would you want to dance with someone who was dying to dance with somebody else? Something tells me that wouldn't be too enjoyable. If we're not content with Jesus, we can never be happy, and I can't imagine He likes that too much. Now, I'm not saying romantic love is bad, or that we shouldn't fall in love with an earthly person. God certainly doesn't think it's bad-- He's the one who instituted romantic love in the first place! But right now, we're dancing with God, and He needs to be the focus of our heart. If we look into His eyes, someday He'll say, "There's this guy I know that would be great for you." And introduce us to the man that's right for us. Of course, this is where the analogy falls apart, because our dance with God doesn't stop when we meet our earthly Mr. Right. A relationship without God will ultimately fail no matter what; but if a relationship between two people is centered on God, it is the strongest relationship possible. "A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." -Ecclesiastes 4:12

Here's the clincher: whatever relationship we're in, it all comes down to the fact that we're dancing with God. It's up to Him to let a man step into our lives, and He is to be in control of our lives no matter what. Until then, we're to be content in Him and leave our lives up to His plans.

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith." -Hebrews 12:2

~green eyes :)