I regularly attend a Zumba class every Wednesday night. I’ve been going to this particular class for about 5 months now. Even though I do NOT consider myself a dancer at all, I’ve managed to learn the moves and feel pretty comfortable in the class. This was not the case in the beginning. I was super self-conscious because naturally I felt like every single person was intently focusing on my awful dance moves. I didn’t enjoy the class until I finally felt comfortable enough with the moves and actually get a good cardio workout in. 5 months in, you can tell who the regulars are and who the newbies are. During tonight’s class, I noticed there was a New Lady. She was kind of stumbling with the moves, as every new person does, but she was different. She wasn’t like me; I felt embarrassed every step of the way. She would stumble, laugh it off, and kept going. But I want to mention the moment where her positive attitude caught my attention.
We were doing one of our more complicated routines, but one of the best tracks, musically. It was a jam! Everyone was into it, but not like New Lady. She was experiencing it in a completely different way. She wasn’t doing any of the moves, but she was the only one who I can say was truly enjoying the moment. She was waving her arms side to side, jumping around, shaking her hips, clapping her hands, you name it, New Lady was doing it! She was in her own world! So much to the point where everyone in the room had noticed and would laugh in acknowledgment of her moment of joy! Everyone eventually got over it and continued to workout, but man! New Lady was living life and enjoying every second of it!
I could go the route of talking about how she didn’t let her current situation (not knowing the moves) affect her joy. I could also talk about how her joyful moment was contagious enough to grab everyone’s attention. But, I won’t. I want to talk about how her joyful moment affected me. I’m writing this hours later and I’m still thinking about it! I keep replaying how happy she looked and full of life she was. I don’t know if she knows the Lord or what might be going on in her life…I don’t even know her real name! All I know is that New Lady blessed me tonight. She took me to a place where it made me m e d i t a t e on joy. Specifically the role joy is playing in my current journey. Let me explain why this is a big step for me.
I was (note: was) terrified of The World Race. The idea of me saying “yes” to the WR was something that made everything inside me very uncomfortable (not to be confused with not being at peace). It didn’t just push me out of my comfort zone, it violently launched me across a numerous amount of other potentially comfortable zones to an area where there were no signs of comfortable zone-life anywhere. In my mind, there were also no signs of joy either. I know of third world countries. I’ve seen what the kind of life looks like. I have personally met families that live in very harsh conditions in third world countries, similar the ones I will be going to. That didn’t bring me joy; it made me nervous. Thinking of being away and so far from my family for 11 months…that didn’t bring me joy; it made me sad. I come from a family of criers so I felt like I was just going to cry in every country and be of no help to anyone.
New Lady helped me see things differently tonight. I was brought to James 1:2-4 (NKJV) where it says:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
I’m learning that even when I’m in those uncomfortable places, I can still count it all as joy. Even if I know my faith is being tested, I can still count it all as joy. Although the amount I have to raise is a LOT, I will still count it all as joy. Even if it seems crazy that I am dropping everything and going, I will still count it all as joy. Even when I face those moments of doubt, or when my heart feels overwhelmed, I will count it all as joy. My emotional state will not lead me astray from counting it all as joy.
Living a joyful life, to me, is about intentionality. In Philippians 4:4, Paul encourages me to rejoice always! Intentionally making “always” really mean “always”! It’s more than a “feeling”. It’s more than a “moment”. It’s a lifestyle that I will choose to live. A life where in God and His presence I can find fullness of joy!
Grace and Peace (& joy!)
