Life doesn’t pick and choose the who, the what or the when it will blow in and turn things upside down. Every person on this planet – young, old, rich and poor – will come face-to-face with the harsh reality of life at some point. None of us gets a pass. We are all affected, in one way or another, by the fall of man. And there are times when the burden of this sinful world wears the heart down to the depths.
The older I get the more I see the reality of this. Sickness, death, loss and hurt seem to invade at the most unpredictable times and in the most unpredictable ways. And through this, I am also learning the value of mourning with those who mourn, grieving with those who grieve. It is both an honor and a privilege to bear one another’s burdens; to walk side-by-side those who are experiencing the painful side of life.
It’s also tempting to feel the sharp prick of guilt when life seems to have given us a reprieve while another is hurting so deeply. I think, because we care, we struggle to be okay with being okay. It’s as if something must wrong if nothing is going wrong. But that would be contrary to God’s way. Certainly no one is exempt from pain and suffering, but neither are we destined for doom all the days of our lives. As much as I think we’d prefer a straight and simple path, the reality is that there are rocky roads and smooth sailing, deserts and meadows, mountain tops and valleys, twists and turns, and all manor of detours along this journey we call life. There will be seasons of plenty and seasons of hardship. There will be sunny days and there will be days when the clouds roll in and the rains come pouring down.
And it’s okay to be okay.
“There is a time for everything.”
Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for everything. God knows that the heart and soul, body and spirit operate in the ebb and flow rhythm of time. There are ins and outs in life. There are upbeat moments and melancholy dips. This rhythm beats in steady time to the constant of change, day in and day out. The beat sometimes hurts and cuts deep into the soul. And the beat sometimes pulls us to our feet, dancing and thrilling the heart to its core.
While our neighbor may be stumbling through an ebb that has turned their world upside down, we may find ourselves in the flow, where sorrow sits at the sidelines while we twirl in the sun.
It’s okay to be okay.
And it’s okay to dance.
“There is a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
If life has given you a reprieve, if you are basking in sunshine of goodness, then get up onto your feet and dance. It is your time. It is your moment. Let your cup be filled. Let God’s light shine through you.
Weary days are going to come, and most of us have already walked the road of mourning once or twice. Because of this, I think we almost forget how to dance when life has kicked us around a few times. But we do no good in God’s great plan if we withhold the joy that follows sorrow.
The dance after the mourning is the most graceful dance of all.
It reminds us all that God has made everything beautiful in his time. It keeps our hearts hopeful, and it stands as a marker on the unpredictable journey that no matter how dark the night, the joy coming is remarkable and sweet.
It’s okay to be okay. Don’t apologize for reaching the mountain top. Relish in the moment. Let us see you dance. Let us celebrate God’s faithfulness with you.
This is your time to dance.
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