You Were Created To Dance!

You were created to dance with JOY.

You were created for bearing fruit with kingdom purpose.

You have a heavenly destiny to fulfill for Jesus Christ your King.

Now, it may be that today—your life looks more like the Sahara than a beautiful lush vineyard. But I am going to proclaim the same thing over YOU that someone once proclaimed over me:

I believe it when Jesus said,

“… I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

So who is they? I am They. You are They. We were created to live an abundant life. And not just in the sweet by-n-by—but here… and now!

We were created for the “MORE” life…

More peace. More love. More joy.

I want more of that kind of life. That is Kingdom living—and I’ll confess to you—most of my life has looked like less, and less, and LESS.

I was missing it but where?

It wasn’t until I made some radical and difficult choices that things began to change. (Perhaps that isn’t what you wanted to hear?) But, were we not told by our King that it is the narrow road that leads to life? (Matt. 7:14)

Did He not say that following Him was going to cost us so we had better think hard and count the cost before signing up? (Luke 14:28)

And, did He not clearly state,

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26 NLT

Disciples don’t get a “free pass” to the MORE life.

Unfortunately you can’t just wiggle your nose and—get there.

(I wish.)

Kingdom Rules—Not Mine.

Nope.

• It takes discipline.
• It takes a lot of hard choices.
• It takes sacrifice.

When we empty ourselves of those things that are sucking the life and joy from our days; when we choose to lay our lives down for the sake of finding the life we have been promised—we find abundance.

We become abundance for others–but only by the less and less path! And lucky us, we get to decide on how much MORE our lives will be.

It happens one hard choice at a time.

No dancer just wakes up one day and decides today I think I’ll dance.

Of course not.

They practice. They train their bodies to new and difficult disciplines. They choose each new move through trying, sometimes stumbling, sometimes falling, getting back up, and trying again.

Through their sacrifice and hard choices they become a dancer.

So what about us?

Truth? It hurt like crazy some days and there have been lots of tears and renunciations.

Still? I wouldn’t go back.

Though I’ve lost a lot on my journey to destined purpose, I have to tell you that this new path I’m on is invigorating most days.

Jesus has never been easy to follow but He’s never been dull.

There have been times when my life resembled a wild ride on a plummeting roller coaster.

Yet in all the craziness, I manage to view the future with new excitement and anticipation.

Oh, don’t get me wrong—some days I still strain at the leash. Losing to gain is not the world’s way of doing things, and I had a lot of unlearning to do.

More truth be told, I still have days (sometimes) when I look longingly back and wonder about all I’ve laid down.

It hasn’t been an easy road—but I have this new tingle in my toes.

I have a new song and a new dance in my heart.

My joy has returned!

(There were days I wondered if it ever would.)

Now, today, I look into the face of my Abba… and He winks at me, and all my wondering?

Well it just fades away into the shadows of His smile.