Dancing with the Stars

Last night my wife was watching "Dancing with the Stars" with her parents. I have to admit that there are times when my wife and I have completely different tastes in television shows and this is one of them. I simply have no desire to watch these people dancing and then being rated on it. I also think they use the term "Stars" quite liberally.

As we were watching the show, my eldest daughter, the three-year-old decided that she wanted to dance like the people on the show.

With me.

In the living room.

Now I don't know if you have ever partnered with someone who is a little shorter than you, but it becomes quite difficult to waltz, foxtrot, tango, or do pretty much anything else when the person you are dancing with is really only as tall as your waist. You see, you have to get into the proper position to support the partner with your hand on their back to guide them, lock your arms, and be sure that your steps match up.

Did I mention my daughter was three?

She basically wanted us to spin around really fast and for me to dip her at the end of the dance. Fill in a combination of jumping up and down at a rapid rate and you have the level of ballroom dancing that we were engaged in. I really never enjoyed that show so much.

We danced and laughed and flipped and turned and only stepped on the dog about three times. It was hilarious. By half way through the show I collapsed in a heap on the floor, sweat pouring off my head.

Stop laughing until you have done this. I'm telling you, I think there is more energy in a three-year-old than in nuclear grade plutonium. That might have been the coffee.

When the next couple came on to dance, my daughter started to pull on my hands and tug on my chin to get me to stand up and continue to dance with her. My legs were throbbing from jumping up and down about 1568 times and my wife was laughing at me. I simply shook my head at my daughter and gasped, "Daddy... is... too... tired..."

I should have danced with her. I literally watched her heart break on her face as she realized that the dancing was done for the evening. She tried to contain her frustration and anger at this turn of events, but it started to burst out in little tears.

I felt horrible.

Here my daughter just wanted me to spin her around the floor a few more times and I had collapsed on her.

I think God pushes us to such limits. We become emotional about our response in prayer or we have moments when we really feel that God is present and walking with us. Then God pushes us to where we think we cannot continue. God pushes us to where we are tired, on edge, and ready to crack.

He allows us to experience a "dryness" in prayer or allows us to suffer a little bit in order to see the importance of walking with Him.

Or dancing with Him.

There have been too many times in my life when I have given up on a particular prayer practice or habit that I am trying to get into because I believe that I am "too tired" or that I have "done my part" or that I have "given what I can."

The truth is that I can always give more. To my daughter and to God. They both deserve it.

My friend Mark Hart is fond of saying that if you want something you have never had you have to be willing to do something that you have never done. That means that I can't give up on those moments with my daughter because there are only so many of them that I am going to get the opportunity to engage in during her life.

That means that I can't give up on those moments with God because there are only so many of them that I am going to get to engage in during this life.

If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you have never done.

So get on the dance floor and dance.

Even if the partner is only three feet tall.