Dancing With Lazarus - Dancing With The Stars

Dancing with Lazarus - Dancing with the Stars

I’D SEEN THE TEASER commercial for a TV show called Dancing with the Stars, and I knew I had to check it out.

I’ve daydreamed all my life about being a graceful ballroom dancer, gliding across the floor in a white chiffon gown. In this dream, I’m five foot ten. Yes, it’s pure fantasy. I can do Chubby Checker’s Twist on one foot, but that’s about it. So I cozied up in front of the television (alone—this is not my husband Steve’s idea of evening entertainment; it’s not likely I’ll get him to an Arthur Murray Dance Studio in our lifetime) for what I hoped would be an opportunity to see what I was missing.

But I was quickly disappointed. The beautiful gowns had been replaced with . . . well . . . not much. Those girls were nearly naked! And the suave, sophisticated leads have been replaced by guys who dribble on basketball courts or who speed skate! Yes, it’s impressive that they can move across the dance floor, but is this really dancing at its finest? No, of course not—this is about risk taking! These “stars” are putting themselves on the line.

As I considered what changes were required for me to live intentionally, I knew that risk taking would be involved. Being an entrepreneur, I’m pretty schooled on the importance of taking business risks—but personal risks? Oh, no.

I think timidity gets in the way of our living the big life—we’ve become a bunch of fraidy-cats.

Loving? No. We can’t love deeply; we could get hurt if we aren’t loved back.

Forgiving? No. We won’t forgive; where’s the justice in that?

Advancing? No way. We’ll make a mistake; and mistakes result in embarrassment.

Girlfriends, if Emmitt Smith, three-time Super Bowl champion, can masquerade as Gene Kelly, risking the ridicule and teasing of the entire NFL, surely we can put ourselves on the line too—especially if the payoff is a life lived authentically.

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)

Stop being a chicken. Put on your dancing shoes and hit the floor. I’m heading out to shop for that white chiffon gown.