Sometimes, you feel so sure of where God is leading you. Then, without warning, He takes a completely different turn. You thought He was leading you to one place, but He had something else in mind for you. A different kind of lesson. A different kind of dancing.

I’m familiar with the kind of dancing Michele experienced when she received the answer she wanted. When I think of a big answer to prayer in my life, I immediately think of my husband…my marriage.  I wanted to be married for as long as I could remember. I dreamed of my Prince Charming. Well, he didn’t come on a white horse, and to be honest he wasn’t the kind of man I had expected to marry. But thankfully, God opened my eyes to see that His ways and His thoughts for me are much higher than my own. He had someone way better than what I had dreamed for myself. Year after year, I become more amazed by how incredibly blessed I am to be doing life with this man. No, he is not perfect, and our marriage is not perfect. But we are perfect for each other. Every time I think about him, or “us,” I smile. I dance. We are not without problems, but there’s no other person I’d rather share my life with…both the good and the bad. I can’t help but to dance in gratitude. Thank You, God, for answering my prayer in a way that far surpasses what I could have imagined for myself. 

Then, as Michele said, there’s a different kind of dancing.

But later, when other prayers didn’t receive such neat and tidy answers, I’d have to learn a different kind of dancing, the kind that stands still. The kind that leans into the sure arms of a mysterious and unfathomable God and allows him to lead, even when she doesn’t know where he is leading.

-Michele Cushatt, Undone*

This type of dancing is a lot more challenging. It’s a lot scarier. It requires a lot more faith. It’s more like wresting than dancing…at first.

God, this is not what I prayed for! Please fix it! I don’t want to be here! God, why are you allowing this?

After you throw all your questions at Him, after all the kicking and screaming is done, after you have been emotionally and mentally “spent,” you look up…and realize that He’s still there. He has His arms wrapped around you, and He is gently leading you in this unfamiliar dance. You don’t know where He’s leading you, but you know you are safe in His arms. The peace and love you begin to feel during this dance sink way deeper than anything you’ve experienced before. That’s when you realize: This is why He’s leading me in this dance. He wants me to experience, like never before, how safe I am in His arms. How deeply loved I am by Him. He wants me to know it, experience it, believe it…and live like it. I will never be the same after this dance.

I think it’s OK to be scared at first. It’s normal to feel that we don’t want to do this. As we bring all of our fears and doubts to God, in time, He will allow us to see the beauty in this kind of dancing. He is calling us, deeper still, into love.

Love so undeniable I can hardly speak
Peace so unexplainable I can hardly think
As you call me deeper still
As you call me deeper still
As you call me deeper still
Into love love love

-Housefires. “Good Good Father.”

*This is part of a series of posts I’m writing about a book by Michele Cushatt called Undone.  I will write about what God is having me reflect on after each chapter.

This post was reflecting on Chapters 3 and 4.

Discussion Questions for the book club: 

-If you ever experienced this kind of dancing, what were some truths God instilled in your heart through the experience?

–In chapter 3, Michele talked about receiving courage from God in her prayer closet, yet the courage would quickly disappear as she went about her day. Can you relate? What were some things you did to regain the courage or remind yourself of God’s truth as you continued your daily tasks?