smile lit up as I followed his footsteps. He was guiding me, leading me. He was
a small boy named Sam with a dirty face, tattered clothes, and white plastic
sandals that were falling apart and caked with red African dirt. The rain on
the tin roof and the church members singing a Capella to a worship song in the
local language (Lugandan) was our song. He had joy like a child as he guided me
on the dance floor. I was surprised that such a young boy knew how to lead
me to dance. As we twirled I felt like a child again. Sure he was small but he
yanked on my hand when he wanted me to spin him faster. I felt dizzy yet I felt
like I could spin forever. God was romancing me by the simplicity of it all.
God was using this little boy to remind me of romance, God’s romance.
grew up romance had turned into something complicated but God was reminding me
it was as simple as twirling around in a rainstorm with a child. Sam wanted to
spin, really fast for as long as he could, or rather for as long as I could
spin him really fast. At one point I was so dizzy I had to sit down. When I sat
down Sam came and sat down next to me and rested his hand on my back, half
hugging me, as he waited for me to regain my composure. Then when he knew I was
ready to dance again he pulled me back up and started twirling. He would scream
in delight as loud as he could when I would spin him faster. You couldn’t even
hear him because the rain was so loud on the tin roof. Waterfalls of rain mixed
with mud were cascading outside and inside we were dancing. I was being
reminded of a father dancing with his child. I was reminded of being a child. I
was reminded of the romance that God has for me.
beautiful. The red was so vibrant. There were thorns on the rose. The red rose was
surrounded by white roses. I wondered what it meant. Then I realized it
represented passion surrounded by purity. That is what I am learning romance
is. God’s romance. The passion he has for me is surrounded by purity and
holiness.
He dances with me. He leads me. He is simple. He is elegant.
He lets me rest when I’m dizzy from twirling. He waits for me. He pursues me.
He takes my hand. He laughs because he is joyful around me. He doesn’t expect
anything from me but he is pleased when I bless him with my attention. He
thinks like a child. So simple. “Will you let me twirl you”, “will you let me
dance with you” “will you let me lead you” “will you let me sit by you when you
are tired” “will you?”
All Sam needed to do was look at me and smile and I knew he
was asking me to keep spinning, and I knew God felt the same way when I smiled at him saying “I want to keep spinning and twirling and dancing”.
God had used Sam to remind me to be like a child, to love
like a child, and to be loved like a child.
