Dancing with the Lord
Dear Friends,
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"What did you call it?" my daughter asked. Without hesitation I said, "the kickball and chain." She laughed. I looked at her and asked, "What's so funny?" She told me that the move was called "kick, ball, change." I responded that when I dance it probably looks like I am wearing a ball and chain. I demonstrated the move. She laughed again.
This came up a few years ago because I had mentioned it in my weekly column. It came to mind recently when I was asked to participate in the Westerly Education Endowment Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala at the Venice Restaurant in March. Committee member, Deb Pendola, asked if I would be willing to participate in a celebrity dance program as part of the entertainment. This time I laughed.
"Obviously you haven't seen me dance," I answered. She assured me that I'd be paired with someone who could teach me. God bless Nicole DiMattei of the Chorus of Westerly. She took on the challenge and is my partner and the real star in our dance routine. She is a good sport for agreeing to work with me. I've been calling this event, "Dancing with the Stars."
Since the beginning of the year Nicole has been teaching me some basic steps. Believe it or not, the kick ball change is one of the moves. I can't say I have mastered it, but it doesn't quite look like I am trying to escape from prison anymore. The key to this process has been patience, practice and continued perseverance. These are three Ps of long-term success.
It dawned on me that the same is true in our faith journey. Very few of us start out with the knowledge and understanding of what it takes to follow Christ. It seems like it should be so easy. It isn't. Jesus told Nicodemus in the Gospel of John that he had to be born again if he wanted to see the kingdom of God. This suggests that growing in our faith was going to be a process.
Look at the Apostle Paul. It took a while to get his feet under him once he was blinded and knocked off his high horse on the Damascus Road. He was starting from scratch. He was encouraged and tutored by Ananias at first, and then by Barnabas. Paul didn't become the great preacher and evangelist overnight. It took time. He learned about patience and perseverance.
It's been said, "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called." When God calls you, God will prepare you for your calling. Time after time, the Scriptures prove this. The apostle Paul says, " Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth."
When God called Moses, he was on the run and by his own testimony, a stutterer and not well spoken. But God had prepared him and gave him the words to speak to Pharoah. During that time in the wilderness, God was molding him into the man he became. So, it is with us. It takes time and patience for us to grow in our faith. We have to persevere and keep at it.
It takes practice. We have to go step by step, and day by day. So don't give up if you have occasional lapses. It is part of the process of achieving a level of competence and success. The best part is that you have a great teacher in the Lord. Call on him to show you the way. Before long, you will be dancing along like you never have before. Cha-cha-cha.
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See you in church.
Pastor Cal