Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Soak Dancing - (not folk dancing)

I think I've mentioned soaking here before, but it's been awhile. Monday night I went to my friend Amy's house to soak. There were only 3 of us there. It was amazing. I have soaked before but this time it was different somehow. Before we started Amy said she felt like she was supposed to pray "open heavens" over us. More on that later. I'm still savoring that phrase and all it could mean for me. As we got comfortable and began listening to the music my word "Hephzibah" kept going through my mind. For those of you who are new here, Hephzibah means "my delight is in her". So I asked God "How do I delight you?" And right then and there in Amy's living room, stretched out on a big ol' comfy chair, God lifted me up and we began to dance. And as we danced we laughed and laughed. It was not the laughter I'm used to when I'm dancing, which is what I hear in my head, but it was laughter of pure joy and delight in "us".

I got the chance to tell my Father that I have always been a wallflower, one of those girls at the dance who is trying so hard to become a piece of the wall so that noone will approach her to dance. A lot of things brought me to that place on the wall. When I was little I always wanted to take tap dance lessons. We could never afford it. But I did get tap shoes once, handed down from my younger cousin. I would pretend to tap. I was soon told by my family that would never happen because I was so uncoordinated, laughter ensued sounding strangely like the laughter I hear in my head actually. Needless to say I put the shoes away and headed for the wall. Another of my dance memories is about dancing on the tops of my dad's shoes when I was a little girl. He would call me his princess and we'd whirl around the room dancing to his classical music. But then he would go away for months at a time and I would wonder what kind of princess lost her dad. What had I done to make him go away? Now, of course, I know that I had nothing to do with his leaving but as a child you wonder these things as you melt into the walls.

BUT on Monday night all that was past. I was dancing with my Heavenly Father and we whirled around the room and He called me His princess. And He will never go away. And I will never have to wonder what I did to get Him to disappear. Of course, I know all these things but to be reminded and drawn in and held in His arms and carried away with Him and to hear Him laugh delightedly at us together was so healing. Maybe tap was never my dance style. I never tried another one, until Monday night. Now I think my dance style is soak dancing. How cool is that?

3 comments:

Erin said...

Incredibly cool, indeed! :)

steph said...

Candy I LOVED this post! WOW what freedom and joy is oozing out of this experience you had.
Like Erin - very very cool indeed.

A Heart of Worship said...

Freedom and liberty...what a joyous post!