And We Danced

“I’m SUCH an amazing dancer!” are words that have never left my mouth. (Well, maybe they have, but they were dripping with sarcasm.) Those who know me understand that my dancing skills are far from decent, but I can definitely have fun with awkward outbursts of what I call ‘dance.’

In all honesty, dance has never been my thing. Music itself is a huge way I can connect with Him, but really only when I listen to it or sing it. Being able to sing to Him feels as if I’m sitting right there in His arms, safe and secure. Dancing on the other hand, I can’t help but look like an awkward ostrich. It’s never felt like a way to worship our Creator…till tonight. As I was sitting in my room with my roommates, discussing how to pack all of our filthy clothes, I heard other teammates getting giddy with excitement. Being the curious person that I am, I ran in to our front room to hear about their delight. “Wanna join us for a one-on-one dance party with God?!” they all exclaimed. Based on what you just read, you’re probably thinking I cowered in fear back into my dirty laundry. BUT–God decided tonight was the night. In my childhood, I never got the experience of going to a Daddy-Daughter Dance. This thought has crushed me throughout the years. It would run through my mind constantly, and just weigh me down in general…but God knew I’d get to experience it. It just happened to be when I was 16 years old, in Africa. I’ll forever mark July 25, 2016 on my calendar as the night I jumped with excitement at the idea of having a dance party with God! (and 6 of my teammates…LOL)

We decided to have this dance party outside, as it was raining. Who doesn’t love getting caught in the rain, especially when it hasn’t rained in Swaziland in 5 months?? (God’s been doing some CRAZY stuff around here!!) Everyone got out their earbuds, and I then understood what one-on-one dance party meant. We all got to listen to our own music, dance to our own beat, and have our own time with God. Is that cool or what?! To start the party, I put my worship playlist on shuffle. God and I were partying it up to some Hillsong, which lemme tell ya, is some good dancing music! Slower songs started coming on, and it was then that it hit me: this was my Daddy-daughter dance that I had been craving. God and I moved through the rain with sweet innocence and grace, and in this moment, I looked up at the sky. The sky is another huge way God communicates with me. Stars, sunrises, sunsets, clouds, storms, you name it, I love it. When we first began our dance party, the sky was very cloudy. But there, in that moment that I looked up, a patch was opening to reveal one of my favorite things: stars! They were so clear and stunning that it caught me off guard a bit. God knows the name of every single star, knows how to create them, and has created billions. Yet, He still craves one-on-one time with me. Now THAT is a cool Dad! J

Dancing in the rain with 6 of my other teammates, all listening to our own random music at 10:30 at night, in Manzini Swaziland, is not something I would originally think to be enjoyable. Man oh man, did God reveal Himself to me tonight! Having such a sweet time with my Dad through dance was something I never thought I’d experience, but I’m oh so glad I did. Daddy Daughter dances don’t have to be your typical ‘wear a nice dress, get ice cream after’ type deal. They can be on a soaking wet driveway in Manzini Swaziland, surrounded by 6 of your ambassador teammates. (which I will say, I don’t think any of them, including God, would’ve cared if I looked like an awkward ostrich or not.)

Written by: Bernadette 7/25/16