The cool breeze of autumn blowing through my hair. Bright lights of Beijing reflecting off the rain puddles in the city streets. Sounds of cars honking their horns and children laughing as we’re walking through the city.
Then, we hear loud and upbeat music. We walk closer and find a large group of people twirling and dancing across the parking lot. We stop to watch and admire their dance moves.
As we are watching, one of the older Chinese men comes up to me, speaking in Chinese. I assume he is asking to dance as he holds out his hand. I reach out my hand to his and follow him, and he begins spinning me around and doing all these awesome dance moves I’ve never done before.
Honestly, I’ve never danced much, so I am nervous that he will get frustrated and realize I’m not a good dancer and move on to somebody else. But he is patient and when I mess up, he simply slows down, lets me watch him, and I will follow his lead. He even asks for a second dance. Everyone all around us is smiling and laughing and dancing and taking our pictures, which of course we’re used to by now.
Through all the spins and twirls and dips, I see a beautiful picture of what it means to follow the Lord. God pursues us and reaches out his hand to us, asking us to go through this life with Him.
God takes the lead in our lives and steps where we should step. He is with us through all the twists and turns in life but he’s there to lead us. If I don’t catch on or if I mess up, God doesn’t give up on me or find another dance partner. He is patient (2 Peter 3:9).
God takes us to places we’ve never been and where we’d never expect ourselves to be. He is showing me that following Him is the most beautiful life that could ever be given to us. Never would I have thought that I’d be dancing with a stranger in the middle of the street in Beijing.
But that’s the beauty of following the lead of the Lord. A person’s steps are directed by the Lord (Proverbs 20:24), he knows where we’re going.
#AlexsAsianInvasion
