I was thinking about dance today...movement...that, while I've seen it beautifully woven together as solo expression, awes me when done by a couple.  Not neccessarily a "couple", either.  Just two people who understand the concept of lead & follow.  They could be complete strangers dancing to a song that they have never heard before, but, if they know their roles...a physical symphony is compossed between them.  However, if one of the members fails in their role, ruin results. 

 If the man, as the traditional formal dance leader, fails to signal or move his partner effectively, she doesn't know how to move or where to go, and will most likely trip or move away from him wrecking the piece altogether.  Everyone knows that once you've been led poorly, you hesistate to fully trust & follow that leader again.  She will expect to be poorly handled from that point on, & chemistry will be lost.  Likewise, if she attempts the ever forbidden "back-lead", similar chaos ensues.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the lingo, back-leading is when the lady anticipates her partners moves, or tries to move him where she wants to go & thereby forfeits her role & runs the rythm right into the ground.  All in all, not a good thing. 

Isn't it funny that these roles are profoundly active in our relationship with our Savior & Lord?!  He is our leader, & we are to follow...period.  However, he never gives wrong signals, leads us in a wrong direction, or steps on our feet.  He knows the steps, ordained them, & moves us when we fully submit to His leadership.  When we trust that He can see the entire floor & everything else moving on it, even though we may not be able to see as we move, there is smooth progression.  However, when we try to move where we wish, don't trust His lead, or try to make His will to move mesh with ours...not good.  We fumble things up.  We break stride.  We forfeit what could have been beautiful...

But, wait.  He is a gracious leader, & even when we seemingly wreck the dance, He can recover us & make it gorgeous once more...& all the glory goes to Him.  As it should.  We may not trust ourselves & be self-conscious in the post-fall recovery time...but once we focus on Him again & rest in His arms...it happens once more....the movement.  Now if only I could keep my frame taunt, relax, think on nothing, & move with Him.  Lord, wont you move me?

This came to mind as I was thinking about a friend of mine who is flirting with the world... It's easier to fake worldly happiness than it is to fight for the real thing. So, what triggers the switch in momentum away from yourself to Jesus? Wish I knew, but I'm guessing that it's part of the God drawing us to Him until He reveals Himself in an unmistakable way, leaving us to reject or fall face down in His presence mystery. So, I'll be on my knees for this nameless "friend" eagerly awaiting the day when he can relish in the freedom that comes from submission to the Lord, that he could never get while loosely living in this world. The chains of emptiness are heavy, but our God's burden is easy and light! Praise Him! Sorry for the run-ons...I write the way I think...that's not neccessarily coherent in the technical composition department...

In so many words, the whole of the beautiful story that is the Holy Bible, is that God is ultimate, gorgeous, worthy of all adoration...AND that we are entirely too wrapped up in ourselves to notice His majesty the majority of the time.  Humility...a word that has been dilluted and mutated throughout the modernization of mankind, finds its ultimate root in the truth that everything is NOT about us.  In our society, we perceive humility to mean making less of yourself.  Lowering, shadowing, dimming the glow of your own essence in order to not be deemed PROUD.  Yet, even this definition, however incorrect, of humility is nearly extinct in practice, because PRIDE is not a terrible thing in our world, but rather something to be...um...proud of.  If you are prideful, you must have reason to be, right?  Therefore, there must be something to boast of that justifies being proud.  You're just calling a spade a spade and relishing in what YOU'VE done for YOU, by YOURSELF, of YOURSELF...etc, etc.  Pride is something that people aspire to, not something they despise.  But, guess what?!  We are to despise pride, recognize it as the consuming virus that it is, and fight against it by turning our lense to gaze apon the beautiful and righteous Yahweh God that we should be joyfully serving, just because He IS.  This infection of pride has no human cure, you cannot rid yourself of it, no prescription of discipline can purge it from your system, and unlike some viruses, it doesn't even run its course and leave you.  It latches on and breaks down your vision of Holy God as the first and only thing to boast of.  It tells you that YOUR story is more precious and interesting than His, and it wraps you up in the unfolding of YOUR narrative so that you miss the beautiful fullfilment of His.  Biblical humility is recognizing that God Almighty, and His working in this world of fallen men over the course of time, is the epitomy of beauty, intrigue, excitement, justice, and truth.  Biblical humility is closing the ever-unfolding pages of your vain ME tale every day, to open and indulge in HIM all day and all night.  It isn't natural to do this.  In fact, its awkward to "set yourself" to this initiative...and to do it just because you want more of Him, in closer proximity, with mounting intensity every second that He sustains your breath of life.  But, as Uzziah did in 2 Chronicles, you must seek instruction in the fear of the Lord, recognize Him above all things, set yourself to seeking Him, and make everything all about Him just because He is who He is at all times, forever and ever AMEN.  Before you end up strong, realize it, think it's of yourself, and earn a humbling by the hand of the Lord...which was leprosy in Uzziah's case.  ~ Lori Michelle 10/25/05

{Lest I rocket into pride by journalling this broadcast to anyone but myself, who needs it far more than I could blog in the limits of this virtual space, I apologize for the soap box...but I was hit over the head by a strong voice of the Lord through the speaker at our Tuesday night worship service tonight, and just had to release before I imploded...}