Dancing.
Our friends have a beautiful little girl that loves to dance. I watched a video of her on social media this morning.
She was with her family at a band rehearsal, and she spun and twirled and danced as the music played, with joy and not a care about who was watching.
I remember when Mary did this. In the living room. In the front yard. In a store aisle.
But one day it stopped.
It wasn’t suddenly, but gradually she became more reserved and she stopped.
I wonder why. Not just with Mary, but all little girls.
I wonder if they become aware of their bodies, their peers, their perceived imperfections, and they wonder if they are doing it right, so they stop. Maybe somebody told them if they can’t do it right, they shouldn’t do it at all.
Not because they don’t love it but because they don’t think it’s ok to love it.
That loss is more than just about dance. It’s about joy. Creativity. Freedom. Childhood. And maybe that’s why it gets to me.
But here’s the thing: I don’t think the dance disappears forever. I think it hides.
It hides under insecurities and friend drama and social media. It hides under responsibility and pressure and the fear of standing out or being different. But deep down, the little girl who once danced in the kitchen is still there.
Maybe she’s just waiting for someone to tell her it’s still okay.
So maybe we need to be the ones to remind her.
Remind her that joy doesn’t have an age limit. That dancing isn’t about performance. It’s about permission. That God delights in her delight. That movement is worship. That freedom is beautiful. That expression shouldn’t be bottled up.
If she’s a teenager, she probably won’t hear us say it. :)
And maybe—just maybe—we need to dance a little ourselves.
I've never been much of a dancer in public but I enjoy it in private for health, fun and even in my private worship to the Lord. I recently started taking ballroom lessons and it's been fun. I'd love to learn regency dance (Jane Austen). I wish I had taken lessons when I was a child. I was thinking back to when I use to go out and dance it was cleaner. I think as I have aged and being a Christian I don't feel comfortable dancing the way they do today and the lyrics are definately not my taste.
I'm old school.
It is interesting how there seems to be a moment in life when many of us begin to control the way we act…perhaps because we become aware others are watching or we think we have to fit into some mold we may not even understand. It’s been liberating across the past few years to work in a program that teaches speakers to perform and watching people rediscover their ability to play…this story reminds me of those experiences and leads me to believe what is hidden can be rediscovered and released once more. Based on my experience with speaker all we need is for someone to give us permission.