Epistle #43: Wednesday Epistle

I don’t dance, but I know people who love to do that very thing. One afternoon I asked my little neighbor girl if she liked to dance.  She replied, “Oh yes. And the thing about dancing is that even if you’re not good at it, you have fun trying until you get good.” Her response gave me cause to pause. Out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom and knowledge much above her years….”even if you’re not good at it, you have fun trying until you get good.”

I miss Meisha. In our short training time together, it became obvious that replacing the position is the easy part. Replacing the person is much more difficult. Her knowledge, abilities and personality have served you so well in her time here. It will take time, concerted effort, and I’m sure many phone calls, texts and emails to her before I can feel at ease that I have absorbed all I can to be able to serve you as she did. It will take time, and I will have to learn the dance.  “Praise Him with timbrel and dancing….” Psalm 150:40

The current pandemic is certainly teaching us all new dances. Masks, social distancing (making for difficult dance moves), virus testing, temperature taking, businesses closed, restaurants opened under specific guidelines – we are in a dance together – one which we have not had to dance before. “…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4 

We are experiencing what it means to be the church outside the church. We are dancing outside the boundaries of a ballroom…and yet, here we are. Feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, helping those who aren’t able to help themselves, writing Epistles, doing the dance of God, for God, with God, even if we aren’t good at it. We are trying, we are feeling positive about the future, looking forward to getting back into church, social gatherings, even postponed weddings and graduation parties. We are dancing with what we’ve been dealt, and as hard as it is, it feels good to be supporting each other in this time of unprecedented need.Let them praise his name in the dance.” Psalm 149:3 

No one knows for sure how long we will be in the current situation. No one knows for sure if we will ever return to “normal.” But what we do know for sure is that the One who leads us in the dance when the music is glorious is dancing with us now, in this time, in this pandemic, in today’s world where we are mightily challenged….and the dance goes on. …then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13

 

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