IS ANYONE WATCHING?

Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, sing like no one is listening, and dance like no one is watching!

“You fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Psalm 16:11

There’s a popular expression right now, “Dance like no one is watching.” 

It’s often accompanied by a photo or video of a young child happily dancing without a smidgeon of self-consciousness, just out of pure joy.  As adults, do we do that?  Can we do that?  In my heart of hearts, I’m dancing like that child, but if I know somebody’s watching, uh, maybe not so much.

I was thinking lately about what this “dance like no one is watching” phrase means and why it’s so popular.  It captures what the feeling of pure joy is like; to just enjoy something, anything, so much that you abandon yourself to the feeling and express it in the joyous physical movement of dance.  As we get older, most of us tend to lose that freedom from inhibition that small children seem to come by naturally, but if you’re like me, you sure would like to be able to let it all go and dance your heart out! 

There’s another area of life I was thinking this line of thought could be applied to. 

It’s in our Christian life.  Our walk with Christ is supposed to be joy-filled.  People are watching; are we dancing? 

I have a cross-stitch pillow that says, “Live your life in such a way that those who know you but don’t know God will come to know God because they know you.”  As Christians, we’re supposed to be living a life that reflects the peace and joy that’s evidence of a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We’re to be living this life for others to see and be drawn to so we can tell them about Jesus and His love for them.

But too many of us don’t know how to live a life of peace and joy.

Some prefer to demonstrate it only in a church service on Sundays.  And there are a few who don’t think it’s appropriate to demonstrate the unbounded joy Jesus wants us to have even in the church service.  They tend toward the solemn and serious.  There is a time for that, of course, but there’s also a time to show exuberance for our Lord Jesus, and it doesn’t have to be just in the church setting.  What will more people be drawn to—the somber, judgmental, narrow-minded people that the world thinks Christians are or the joyful, peace-filled people Jesus wants us to be?

Some Christians let the worries of this world get in the way of experiencing joy and peace. 

I read in my devotions recently that to worry is a form of unbelief.  We say we believe that God is in control and everything is in His hands, but we can’t entirely trust that when we see what’s going on in the world or when things are coming apart in our personal lives.  I realize there is a lot to be concerned about in these current times.  But even with so much going on and going wrong, we can still have peace and joy.  How?  By genuinely believing this:  God is faithful!  He’s still on the throne, and He’s still in charge of everything!  All God asks is that we trust Him to care for us and everything concerning us.  He will do it! 

I’m not saying it’s easy.

Completely trusting in God can be challenging.  But it is possible.  We learn to trust God by learning about who He is, and we do this in many ways:  first, from the Bible, but also from creation all around us, through answered prayer, and from unconditional love shown to us through followers of Jesus Christ.  When you really know someone, it’s easier to trust that person.  If we really know God, we can trust Him, which will be reflected in how we live.  Peace and joy will be the natural outcome of our life of trust, no matter what happens.  And others will notice this and be drawn to it. 

People have often asked me why I seem so happy—is it real, or am I just putting on an act?  It delights me to have them ask because it gives me a chance to let them know about the genuine peace and joy I have due to Jesus in my life.  I honestly don’t know how I’d handle life without Him!

So I’ve decided that going forward, I will dance like no one is watching—only, I hope they will be watching so I can tell them about Jesus!