Just keep dancing

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You gotta keep dancing”

Our Bible verse for today: “You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance.” Psalm 30:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Just keep danccing”

Your wife is mad and the kids have the flu? You gotta keep dancing. Your boss is a jerk and the bills are all late? You gotta keep dancing. Your mamma don’t dance and your daddy don’t rock & roll? You gotta keep dancing.

I’ll admit without apology or shame that I have borrowed the title for this month’s series from Tim Hansel’s great little book by the same title, “You Gotta Keep Dancin”. I also freely admit that I have used this theme before, years ago, in a different devotional series, and I’m eager to use it again now. Last month our theme was “Lighten up a little”. It was a quality-of-life issue. This month we are going to continue that thread of thought but by shifting gears a little and thinking about how we can keep life light and fun, even when our circumstances are not.

Tim Hansel was the founder of a ministry called “Summit Expeditions”. He led groups of men on challenging wilderness adventures with the dual purpose of having fun while conquering challenges in nature, but also as a time of Christian discipleship and spiritual discovery.

On one of those expeditions Tim had a rock-climbing accident that resulted in a serious back injury that would never heal. After numerous surgeries and treatments of all sorts, combined with more medicine than any person should have to take, Tim ended up spending the rest of his life with chronic daily pain. From the time of the accident forward he was never without pain.

What to do? How do you live like that? You can succumb to despair and sink into a pit of despondency. Or you can live like a zombie zonked out on painkillers. Or you can simply resolve to get on with life as best you can under the circumstances as they are – you can choose to just keep dancing. Tim decided to dance.

I like Tim’s story because I find it inspiring. I’ve read his book multiple times over the years. It has helped me to stop being a whiny little snot and to just suck-it-up and get on with life. (Okay, I’m still working on the whiny little snot part.)

I like the quote from famed Bible scholar and theologian Frederick Buechner, “My assumption is that the story of any one of us is in some measure the story of all of us.” In other words, we can learn from each other. We can be inspired by each other’s examples. I can learn to stop being a whiny little snot about my own small problems by considering how Tim Hansel and others like him handled their big problems with grace and courage and dignity.

That’s what we will do this month. We will learn from others who have handled big life problems well. The truth is that life happens. It happens to all of us – but you just gotta keep dancing.

By-the-way, did you hear the story about the pastor who had a terrible accident and lost an arm? A fellow pastor heard about it and rushed to the hospital to see his friend. He was sure the guy would be devastated. However, when he got there his friend greeted him with a friendly smile and thanked him for coming. The visiting pastor asked his friend how he could be so upbeat and positive in the face of such a profound loss. The other pastor answered, “You know, I’m not really that good of a preacher, and I know I’ll never be the best preacher in town.” Then with a grin he said, “But maybe now I can at least be the best one-armed preacher in town.” And I’ll bet he was!

You gotta keep dancing, my friends, you just gotta keep dancing.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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