Thoughts on salsa dancing…My wife has always had an adventurous side to her that keeps our life interesting. She is always up for new adventures and she has made me a partner in her quest for new things. She recently decided that she wanted us to learn to salsa dance, so last Tuesday I found myself at our third class moving my feet to the energetic beat of some Latin music.
This particular night I have to tell you that neither one of us was up for dancing. We have been on a particular grueling stretch of life with numerous challenges that have required a lot of time and energy. We were both exhausted and it was manifesting itself in the two of us being in less than domestic tranquility. Who am I kidding… we were arguing and both of us just wanted to go home.
Because we had made the commitment and we both knew that missing a lesson would probably mean the end of our salsa dancing career, we pushed on and went. For the next hour we danced and learned. We met new people, laughed, and had a great time just being out.
It was while we drove home that something dawned on both of us. The two people that had arrived at our salsa class were not the same two people who left. Somewhere in that hour we had escaped the emotional stress that was all over us and relaxed into two people who really enjoy our lives together.
The Bible has this amazing promise in it. The scripture tells us that Jesus came so that we might have an abundant life. I think that we have taken such a limited view of this scripture and lost the true power of this promise. For many we have taken it to mean that God is going to give us this amazing life and all we have to do is sit back and wait for it to happen. May I suggest if that is your attitude you will be waiting the rest of your life, because it will never happen.
I have often said to my church that if you don’t live life then life will live you. You see, all of us are surrounded by pressure and stress. It is a never-ending cycle that needs to be broken or in the end it will break us.
What hit me as I drove home from my salsa class was that we were doing something that didn’t fit into the box of work, parent, pastor or even being a spouse. It was an out-of-the-box adventure that didn’t leave room for us to be weighed down by responsibility. Who can feel stressed when you’re dancing?
The stress demon is not going to be broken in your life by living in the rigid demands of responsibility. Sometimes you need to find something in life that makes you move into something unfamiliar so that you can breathe. Our salsa class has opened us up to a new community of people. It has given us an outlet for stress and in its place given us new wealth of emotional and mental relief.
The abundant life that He promised us is right in front you. I believe that it is something that we have to look for though; it doesn’t just happen. You have to engage in life beyond your responsibilities to find it.
Don’t let excuses rule your life. I’m too tired. I don’t have the time. It costs too much. All of these are the traps that keep us weighed down. Get out. Live your life. Show God you appreciate this great gift He has given you by living the most vibrant existence you can. Find your thing. Experiment with the unknown. Refuse to sit one more day doing the same old thing you do every day.
Hey I have to go…I think my wife wants to take another spin around the dance floor.