Training Camp in Copperhill, TN. I'm clearly excited to be part of the W Squad (aka WOW) squad.
If you’ve known me for a little while, you know I love to dance. Sometimes I’ll host an impromptu dance party in my apartment, other times I’ve been asked to serve as the “Dance Enthusiast” at a friends wedding. I tend to have a song in my head and a hop in my step.
As I arrived at the World Race Training Camp, it didn’t take my teammates long to notice I enjoy dancing. Turn on some tunes and my body just starts moving. During worship I have a “homebase” beat that is consistent for each song. Like many people, I have a place that I go to in my mind when I’m confined to 1’ x 1’ box in front of my chair. I’d love to share it with you-
The place I go is a wide-open field that is bordered on each side by trees. In this field, I’m wearing my best twirling skirt and I dance. I dance like I’ve never been able to in real life. I jump. I twirl. I leap. I spin. I’m free to worship God and not worry about what people think of me.
So that’s where I go. And at Training Camp, I quickly found out that World Racers are not about the 1’ x 1’ square in front of your chair. We’re encouraged and almost expected to worship God in whatever way we best connect with Him. So people are stoic, some lay on the floor. Some raise their hands, some sit on chairs, some stand with their eyes closed. And some dance.
As we began worship set one evening, I heard the still small voice inside whisper, “Why don’t you dance?” No, I thought. What would people think? Listening to the whisper, I walked outside the building into the brisk night air. I was drawn to the wide-open field that extended quite a distance. Tears instantly welled in my eyes by the beauty of the night sky. Dazzling stars stretched across the sky until they reached the Tennessee hills.
Dance. No. Dance. Let go. Well, ok. Just a little bit. I began to dance a bit, all while looking around to see if anyone was watching. Can I be out here? I thought. Yes, yes I can. Kick your sandals off. Just dance. Don’t worry about what you look like or who is watching.
So I did. I kicked my sandals off and started to dance. I jumped. I twirled. I leap. I spun. I laughed. I danced for a good period of time. And then I noticed a person, sitting. Looking up in the night sky. Maybe I should stop, I thought. No, he’s just worshipping God how he best connects with Him. So I kept dancing. It wasn’t as good as I am in my mind, but I’ll keep practicing.
When the worship set was done, I was exhausted. Who knew worshipping God could be such a workout?! When I went to find my sandals, they were no where to be found. I couldn’t find them for the life of me. When I came back with my flashlight, I heard the same small voice saying, “Take a picture. Let it remind you to worship Me freely. Stop worrying about what other people think of you.” So, here’s that picture:
My sandals that I lost in the grass.
At Training Camp, I’ve been learning and growing in many areas of my life. I’ve been reminded how much I desire people’s approval instead of God’s, even when I worship. I’m growing though; maybe some day I’ll have practiced my dancing so much that I’ll look just like the dancing Emily that I envision in my mind.
What about you? You think you can dance? How are you “learning to dance?”
PS- apologies for the underlining…not quite sure how to get rid of that on this blogging site.
