A year ago, the Assemblies of God Speed the Light/Youth Convention/National Fine Arts theme was "I'm Ready." I wrote a poem about that theme. But until now I didn't really know what I meant by that. Oh, I had vague ideas, but they were all just that: vague.
Tonight, however, I learned what it meant. Anyone who hangs out around my site long enough will discover that I'm philosophical, I like to think outside of the established parameters. Okay, I'm probably just weird. The point is that, lately, I've been asking myself challenging, even unanswerable questions. Things like, "What is reality?" This was the question I put to my mentor and friend in the form of an exceedingly eloquent e-mail.
She mailed me back. I read it today, and it was as challenging an answer as was my question. Reality, she said, applies to our five senses. The supernatural and the spiritual occur outside of that reality.
The spiritual meaning behind this is that when we've said and done it all, we will come to the conclusion that "reality" doesn not matter. It's the non-reality, that supernatural, spiritual realm, that we will eventually pursue.
But this is the thing that got me. She told the story, which I'm sure many of you have already read (if you haven't, e-mail me), which is a revised version of "Footprints." It outlines the story of a man who has a dream in which he sees two sets of footprints. One is his, one belongs to God. His footprints go through a variety of twists and turns around God's ever-straight path. Eventually, the man is walking in Jesus' footsteps, and his feet grow and fill the prints perfectly. Finally, he's startled by the once-again eratic nature of his footprints.
At the end of the dream, he stands before the Father and asks, "Lord, at the end, why were my footsteps straying again?"
"My precious child," God answers. "That was when we danced."
This next sentence made me weep, I hope it moves you. "So Jamie, are you ready to dance?"
And I am so ready. More ready than I have ever been before. For several minutes, I just sat and prayed, worshipping God, thanking him, telling him that I am ready!
I e-mailed my friends, tears in my eyes, still praying, listening to praise and worship MP3s. At a computer, at a gateway for such filth and baseness, God saw fit to speak to me!
I don't think I can ever express to you how excited I am. I feel a hunger for God within me that will not die. It's like a physical need! I'm ready!
In closing, may I encourage you to not wait to dance? Because when you go too long without dancing, you soon become rusty. Be careful. Someday you may be too old for dancing.
So; are you ready to dance?
