Don’t Miss the Dance

Happy Monday to our CFC family;

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

Psalm 37:23-24

This morning I was getting ready when suddenly an old song began to play in my head. It had been years since I last heard it, and I could only remember the chorus.

The song was “The Dance” by Garth Brooks and the chorus that I was humming went like this;

“And now, I’m glad I didn’t know

The way it all would end, the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could’ve missed the pain

But I had to miss the dance”

The message of the song is simple but deeply reflective. It looks back on life's circumstances and suggests that if we had known how certain moments would end, we might have chosen differently in the moment. We might have stepped away from some paths we were on, avoided some seasons, or protected ourselves from some relationships. Yet the song ultimately lands on the realization that doing so would have meant missing the value and beauty of those very moments, in other words, we would have “missed the dance.”

Now, although I don’t fully agree with the line, “our lives are better left to chance,” for scripture is clear that God is actively involved in every part of our lives and directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9). Even so, there is something in this song that is deeply human and worth reflecting on. It touches that place in all of us that realizes there are experiences we would have avoided if we could have seen the outcome ahead of time, even though those same experiences often end up shaping us in ways we could never have planned.

There are moments in life that only make sense in hindsight. That in the moment, they can feel overwhelming, confusing, or even painful. Some seasons stretch us beyond what we thought we could carry. Some relationships bring both joy and hurt that we never expected. And if we are honest, many of us would choose the easier path if we were given the option in advance.

But life does not work that way. We move forward without seeing the full picture.

Now, I’ve never been much of a dancer. Growing up in a home that didn’t really encourage that kind of thing never gave me much opportunity to develop myself in that area. But when I think about life through the lens of a dance, something becomes very clear that most of us can relate to.

That in life, there have been and will be “dances” that are beautiful and full of grace. Moments that, when you look back, will carry a sense of peace and even gratitude. Seasons where things seemed just as you hoped, where the rhythm felt steady, and where life had a kind of quiet beauty to it.

But there have been and also will be other “dances'“ that feel nothing like that. Moments that are heavy, awkward, and difficult to walk through. Seasons where you felt out of rhythm, unsure of your footing, almost like you were trying to keep moving while everything inside you felt off balance. Moments you would not choose again if you had the chance.

Yet even there, God was not absent.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

So the dance is not about controlling every step or avoiding the difficult ones. It is about learning to keep moving even when the rhythm is unclear and the outcome is unknown.

It is about picturing yourself dancing with the Lord, allowing Him to lead, trusting His hand when nothing makes sense, and choosing to follow His direction even when you cannot see what comes next.

There is something deeply personal about that image. It is not just life happening to us, but life being walked through with Him. Step by step, moment by moment, even when we feel unsure, He is still leading.

And often, it is only when we look back that we begin to see what He was forming in us through it all. Strength we did not know we had. Patience that was quietly being built. A deeper dependence on Him that only came through walking roads we would not have chosen.

So maybe the dance is not about avoiding pain or controlling outcomes. Maybe it’s about learning to stay in step with Jesus even when you do not understand the rhythm, trusting that He has never let go of your hand.

And in the end, we may realize that if we had tried to avoid it all, we might have escaped the pain, but we also would have missed the dance.

Question: What would it look like for you this week to “stay in step” with God rather than stepping ahead of Him or pulling away when things feel unclear?

Have a great week and we’ll see you Sunday!

Pastor Dan