Single Again for Valentine’s Day

Okay, I admit, that title is misleading. I’ve always been single so Valentine’s Day was always any old day for me. The only thing I do every year is babysit for my church’s Couples’ Valentine’s Dinner. Good thing I love kids 🙂

You know what’s hard though? Honestly? The dancing. Seeing couples dance pierces my heart because I love to dance. I took a semester of Social Dance (ballroom) in college, and this guy and I clicked. We were pretty good dancers already, and we became pretty good dance partners. We picked up new dances quickly and communicated with each other well, using one word responses and body language. He missed a class when we learned a new dance. The next class was finals and we were assigned that dance. In a few minutes of practice, we got it and we passed.

If I can move that well with someone in a strictly platonic relationship (I don’t even remember his name), how much more sweeter would it be to dance with someone in a loving relationship?

Dance, you see, is not just about moving to the music. In structured and choreograph dances, it’s about trust, communication, and awareness. You need to be able to trust your partner to lead you. You need to trust that he’ll protect you when you’re dancing blind (women usually dance backwards, like in the waltz). You need to communicate with words, eye contact, and body language. You need to be aware of each other and the other dancers around you.

It’s nice to be swept away in his arms while the music crescendos, but if you’re always lost in the sweeping away, the dance will soon end with both of you tripping on the dance floor. The truth is that to dance well is to work hard. It’s to keep dancing until muscle memory kicks in, and there’s an almost telepathic understanding between you and your partner. At that point, you know the basics, and you keep working hard to make the dance better

I used to believe in being swept away in love, but to do relationships well is to work hard at them. Like dancing. And when muscle memory kicks in, you don’t stop working hard. You don’t stop working at your relationship just because you reached a milestone year. You keep working hard to make your dance last a lifetime.

I still believe in being swept away because God sweeps me away. He still amazes me. He still surprises me. He still takes me on whirlwind adventures that take my breath away. Just not every single second of every singe day.

People say that we should be in awe of God everyday. That when we approach His throne, we are overwhelmed with adoration and praise for Him. I’m pretty sure that if I come face to face with God, that’s what’s going to happen, but I’m also pretty sure there would be a comfortable relationship. It won’t always be surprises and whirlwinds because God is our friend. He is our Father.

As awesome as our friends and parents are, we don’t always approach them with exuberant joy. As magnificent as your partner is, you’re not always singing his or her praises.

I don’t think Abraham trembled before God when he bargained with God on behalf Sodom and Gomorrah. He was not disrespectful and he didn’t tell God what to do, but Abraham knew he had a relationship with God that allowed him the comfort and confidence to ask God to change His mind.

I’ve been observing the parents at my church for a very long time, and it’s fun to watch them sweep each other away at the Couples’ Valentine’s Dinner and other special occasions. But love shines brighter in the everyday. When they work together in the ministry. When they laugh at each other’s fumbles. When they encourage each other to be better. When they’re there for each other.

It’s easy to live out our faith in the big God moments when His voice is undeniable and His presence clearly evident because we can’t escape His Truth. The everyday can bury His Truth. The everyday hustles us from one second to the next and we miss the brightness of God’s love.

My prayer this Valentine’s Day is that we all find love in the mundane of everyday. Whether it’s the love of family and friends or the love of God, let it shine brighter. Let’s not miss it.

[bctt tweet=”Find love in the mundane of every day. #happyvalentinesday”]

Linking up with Holley’s Coffee for Your Heart.