Dancing with God.

The dancer gracefully moved around the small portable tap floor.  Amazed at how quickly her feet could shuffle, I noticed that the floor was dirty and worn in the center from years of use.  I imagined the countless hours she must have spent in those shoes, on that floor, practicing and perfecting dance after dance, movement after movement.  I thought about how some people, if they didn't understand, would wonder why she didn't just buy a new floor.  Get a brand new one; it would look nicer.  But it was of more value to her after years of use, with scrapes and marks designing the center.  It wasn't about how it looked; it was about how she had used it throughout the years.  And you could tell, not only by how worn the floor was, but by how she was dancing that she had definitely spent time in the center of that portable square.


In our prayer lives, we're the exact same way.  If a small portable tap floor is our prayer closet, the place where we drop to our knees and converse with our Father, is it worn from years of use?  Or do we attempt to keep it nice and tidy, disregarding a true relationship with God, in order to maintain an image without the fruits?


Think of it like this: the dancer spent so much time on that floor, wearing it out, that she was a good dancer.  You could tell just by watching her that she had spent time practicing and getting it right.  The more time we spend in our prayer closets, wearing that floor out, the easier it will be to recognize us as children of God.  When we spend time in His presence, seeking His face and His will, it becomes evident in our lives.  You'll know them by their fruits, as my daddy always says.


Some people try to keep their prayer closets (tap floors) neat and tidy.  They spend little time with God, if any at all, in an effort to remain comfortable.  Sure, they can look like they have it all together.  They want things orderly and clean.  But when it comes down to getting knee-deep in prayer with God and fully surrendering their hearts, they'd rather not.  It gets too messy.  And as they go out in life, it's easy to tell that they're pretty on the outside, but they haven't practiced following God at all.  Their floors aren't worn out from use; they're not good dancers.


So I encourage you to take a moment and contemplate what kind of dancer you are.  Is your prayer closet worn out or does it still look brand new from lack of use?  It's never too late to begin spending time with God, so if you find that you aren't happy with how well you're dancing in life...the best time to start changing that is right now.  Never forget that the time you spend with the Father means something to Him as well.