Dancing in the dark is not unlike practicing Christianity.

Faith calls for stepping out into the unknown, the unforeseeable, a covered outcome. Life at times can be tragic, and in it, we are cast into a darkness.  We might feel alone, we might not see a way out.  Then comes the master dance instructor and offers us His hands in a classic dance pose.

Have you ever been a beginner ballroom dancer?  Do you know what it is like to be taken into the arms of the owner of the dance studio and whisked around the floor without making even one mistake?  At first you hesitate and blush at the awkwardness of being given such a privilege. But soon you find yourself gliding with your partner, under the strong signals of their hands.  Your beginner status is undetected by the observers; you are safe in the arms of the expert.  What have you to fear?

Not all dance floors are like a ballroom’s. Some are living rooms cluttered with furniture, others like the small dance floor of a bar, crammed with people.  Other dance places may have cluttered floors or small walls with hardly enough room to turn around in more than twice.  But the lead of the partnership dance knows his environ impeccably. He places his hand on the upper back of his partner, and holds out his left hand to them.  One hand steadies them, the other guides them effortlessly.  They feel him steering them forward, avoiding all obstacles in the path.  The gentle pressure upon their back is re-assuring.  A good instructor gives very little verbal cues during the dance itself.  It is all in the hands and the dance frame.

Lee Ann Womack sang,” “I Hope You Dance,” in 2008.  But Gladys Knight wrote it. My favorite line is I hope you give faith a fighting chance.

How we do that is to dance. The master instructor opens His hands to us.