Save The Last Dance ...
47. Save The Last Dance …
John 21:25 NLT
Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.
Vicki packed so much dancing into fifty years.
Some of us will live fifteen years, some fifty, and others longer. (There were people in ancient times that lived to be nine hundred years old! Amazing – but I digress.) What we do with the years we have is what’s important. No matter how long a person lives, how they dance is more important than how long they dance.
Vic lived a full life. Her life wasn’t “cut short.” She completed her time on this planet and moved on … to eternal life. God had numbered her days, and when she had fulfilled every hour of every day He had in mind for her when she was formed in her mother’s womb He took her home. He swept her off her feet and carried her home.
If you want to dance through life, experiencing abundant life – a rich life, in full measure – choosing to dance The Dance of Life God’s way is the way to go.
But it’ll cost you something.
I’d say most people aren’t willing to pay up when they find out what God wants, no matter how enticing His offer is. Even if He promises them eternal life in heaven – and He does! – most think giving Him what He wants is out of the question. In His Word He has promised that if we do marriage His way we get the best kind of marriage possible. If we raise kids God’s way He says they’ll turn out okay. If we’re honest in business and please Him with our work, God promises we’ll prosper spiritually and financially. (See Psalm 1 if you want that in writing. And while you’re at it read Proverbs … and the rest of the Psalms … and check out the entire New Testament … and … you get the picture.)
What is it that God wants in exchange for the best life possible?
Simply put, your life. He wants my life, too. He wants you and me to willingly go along with His plans – dancing the Dance in His steps if you will.
Vicki made the biggest decision of her life early on. In her teens. She bought what God was selling. She decided God’s style and music was what she ultimately wanted most.
And then she discovered the decision to dance through life His way wasn’t a “once and you’re done” deal. There were many days she would have to re-sign the contract. Why? Because she unintentionally … and sometimes intentionally … danced her own way, to her own music. She’d pull her hand out of His and go off on some adventure. There were times He was calling for a Waltz but she wanted to do the Foxtrot. Another time God would say, “It’s time to Boogie,” but she’d want to slow things down, or stop dancing altogether.
All of us who sign God’s dance card do the same thing. The very same thing. And we all make this discovery: God doesn’t give up on us. Rather than walking off the dance floor in frustration, muttering to Himself what a waste of time we can be, He pursues us. He shouts out how much He loves us. He calls to us. He woos us … and when we come to our senses we turn around and come back to Him. That’s called “repentance.” To repent means to turn around and come back to doing things God’s way.
Vic was so intent on dancing with God her whole life she willing submitted to His repeated corrections. Did you notice how many times in her Dance she had to learn the same steps, over and over again? Many people would have quit, deciding they were never cut out to be dance partners with God. Not Vicki. She kept coming back for more.
Was she dense? Was she stubborn? Was she fearful? Yes. Yes. Yes. But she kept saying to herself … singing to herself,
Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We're tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God's eternal day.
Refrain
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.
Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
We're tossed and driven on , no human help in sight;
But there is one in heav'n who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem - just go to Him in pray'r.
Refrain
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.
Life's day will soon be o'er, all storms forever past,
We'll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We'll share the joys of heav'n - a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we'll lay our burden down.
Refrain
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.[321]
Right now … at this moment … Vicki’s dancing with The Healer. And if you could hear her voice across the Dance Floor of heaven she’d be singing, “It was worth it … all of it!” And if you could see her and her Partner, that smiling Gentleman holding her tight to His chest … the One beaming and singing along with her … would tell you, “Look! Isn’t she wonderful? I’m so proud of Vicki. She did it right.”
The Dance of Life is our time of decision. How will we dance, and with whom? Or Whom?
If we decide to dance with Jesus it will be worth it … but it might be tough, too.
Vicki’s dance was a tough one, there’s no getting around that. But her dance had an overriding purpose – a single purpose: to draw others into a life-partnership with God – Dancing With The Healer.
God responded to her teenage decision to dance with Him by preparing her for a battle with cancer. He toughened, tenderized, and then toughened her again and again. It was for His glory that she danced the last five years of her life burdened with that ugly terminal disease. People watched her.
Some watching were already believers – fellow Christ followers – and they were encouraged by Vicki’s faith to grow their own.
Others, like her brother Gary, had spurned Christ’s offers of new and eternal life for years … but when he (and others like him) saw how much she loved God, something miraculous happened. They were born again! I’ll never forget the day when Gary said, “Yes, Lord … I’ll dance with You … and I’ll let You lead.”
Sadly, I know of some people who watched Vicki dance with The Healer this side of heaven who, because they wouldn’t pay the price God was asking, still dance on their own, to their own tune. That’s their choice. I hope they’ll change their minds. I pray they will.
And then …
Then there are the folks who will read this story. Her story … our story. And because she was so honest-to-God, transparent, fallible and real those readers will open their hearts to The Dance of a lifetime with God.
Some of you are saying about now, “Dance with God? And then get cancer so that He can be glorified! Not me! That’s stupid! Who in their right mind signs up for cancer?! Who wants to battle all the stuff she did?”
You’d be smart to think that way. If Vicki had had twenty-twenty foresight to see that dying of cancer was part of her dance, I’m sure she would have said to the Lord, “Uh … Lord, choose someone else. Just let me dance somewhere for You out of the spotlight. I want to go to heaven and all, but I also want to see my sons married and hold grandchildren on my lap.”
All I can say is, not everyone who dances with God dances such a difficult life. I haven’t.
But living life without God – dancing on our own, with no guarantee of heaven – is that a smart move? Is that a good decision?
Unbelieving people get cancer every day. Terminal illnesses aren’t reserved “For Christ-followers Only.” I think one question that must be asked and answered is, “Dancing with God? Is that a better idea than facing life without Him holding our hand, giving us direction, and hearing His voice?” Think about it.
If you’re one of those who, after reading Vicki’s story, decide, “I’ll dance with You, Jesus, no matter what comes my way,” please let me know. I can send you some material that will help you understand a little more what you’re stepping into, and Who you’re taking by the hand. Write me using my email address – lowelleq@mac.com.
I’ll be joining with Vicki and the angels, dancing and jumping and praising God for the decision you made. The decision to Dance With The Healer!
And God will smile.
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“It is written that we shall ‘stand before’ Him, shall appear, shall be inspected. The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us, that any of us who really chooses, shall actually survive that examination, shall find approval, shall please God. To please God … to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness … to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son – it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.”[322]
