“Stay close to Me and I’ll stay close to you." ~ John
15:4
Mandy hated hospitals – the
atmosphere was suffocating and cheerless.
She loathed the sad faces, the silent screaming of aching hearts, the
empty footsteps of people who were grieving.
That made the idea of visiting her hospitalized friend even more
frightening.
At 17, Michael was battling leukemia. In a way, Mandy owed her life to him. He’d been there for her, through the family
chaos that prompted her eating disorder.
He convinced her that she wasn’t alone, or nuts, or even weird. He helped her gain the courage she needed to
get help.
“Dear Lord,” she prayed silently. “Grant me Your blessings and mercies this day
and every day!” Short and sincere – just
like God liked it!
Her nerves tightened as she maneuvered the halls towards
Michael’s ward. All of a sudden she
heard a loud scream; someone must have died she thought. “Oh God,” she murmured. “ I hope it wasn’t Michael, I hope I’m not
too late!” Her panic quickened when she found
the bed empty in his room.
“You looking for Michael?” a soft voice whispered from
behind. She pointed to another room down
the hall. “He’s so weak now,” she
continued, “He can barely stand at times.”
Mandy felt small and alone as she trudged toward the
darkened corner, her insides leaping and falling rapidly. As she rounded the corner and entered the
room, she saw Michael entertaining some younger children in the hospital with
what looked like a few moves from Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ dance. The curious kids were smiling ear to ear
while attempting to mimic his crazy legs.
They talked for hours – nothing difficult about it. “With so little stamina, why dance?” Mandy
asked.
“I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like
dancing. When two people try to lead,
nothing feels right. When you are one
with Him, you feel his gentle nudges moving you in one direction or
another. It’s as if two bodies become
one. Dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from me and guidance from God. I’m learning to follow His guidance!”
On her way back home, Mandy meditated on the word GUIDANCE
and kept seeing ‘dance’ at the end of
the word. When she saw “G” she thought
God, followed by “U” and “I.” God, you
and I dance. She lowered her head
and thanked God for His “blessings and mercies today.”
Dear Lord, help me dance more grace-fully
with You, following Your lead and trusting Your G-U-I-Dance. Remind me often that the purpose of dance is
not getting to a certain place on the floor, but to enjoy each step along the
way. Amen
