Kassiquan

Freaked Out?  “I Cannot Dance, O LORD, Unless you lead me.”

Dancing was one of those activities I learned to do at an early age.  My Dad would drag us to his friends’ parties, to celebrate Birthdays, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or any other event that would be conducive to having a great party.  Of course, the dances I learned were those common in the mid 60’s to early 70’s; Boleros and Merengues of which I learned to do well.  Being that I grew up in a Puerto Rican culture, this was the only dancing I did at parties.  I used to watch Lawrence Welk with my Mom on Sunday evenings and would be fascinated by the dancing of the audience.  I did not know any of the “American” dancing until my Mom showed me how to do the Waltz, the Twist, the Box Step and Fox Trot.  Mom also showed me how to do some Cha, Cha.  The dances Mom taught me were always done at home; never appropriate for the parties we went to with Dad.  I enjoyed listening to the music of the Boleros and Merengues and could feel the movements of the dances; still do.

Freaked out?  Why am I thinking about dancing?  Well, I started to think about one of my cousin Lisa’s favorite quotes that I included in my title, “I cannot dance, O LORD, unless you lead me” in The Flowing Light of Divinity written by Metchtild of Magdeburg (1207 – 1282 or 1294).  I love this quote.  It is a powerful statement which draws my attention to another dance; a dance that was criticized and viewed as an embarrassment instead of one that expressed the beauty in the honor and worship of the very one who leads us in the dance of life - God.  Many of you may know of whom I write, King David Ben Jesse who danced before the Lord as the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-21).  God leads us in the dance of life before Him.  The writer of Exodus records one of the first dances with the use timbrels (tambourines) and singing by Miriam and the women who joined her acknowledging God who saved them from Pharaoh and his army (Exodus 15:1-21).  “I cannot dance, O LORD, unless you lead me.”

Freaked out?  In 1981 I my mother invited me to go with her and my sisters to the Messiah Mission on Friday nights.  The Mission was a small group of Jews who accepted Jesus as their personal Savior that believed him to be the Messiah; they were different from the group identified as Jews for Jesus.  The Messiah Mission was a ministry of the Assemble of God Church and the group would occasionally fellowship at Highway Tabernacle Assembly of God Church in Philadelphia.  Because I played guitar, I was asked to join their singing group.  There were six of us, two on guitar, one on the tambourine and we would all sing songs in Hebrew and English.  We would travel to local churches in the tri-state area and as far as Virginia.  On occasion I would play on my flute recorder while another member would play his guitar.  At one point we all went to a service at Congregation Beth Yeshua and I had the opportunity to witness another dance in action.  When the congregation would sing the Psalms of David, the women and some men would get up and form a circle and dance to the Psalms of joy and praise, like dancing to a ballad.  I loved it!!!  I wondered, why Churches did not dance to the Psalms as I witnessed on that day.  “I cannot dance, O LORD, unless you lead me.”

Freaked out?  I was about seventeen years old.  A woman with her five-year-old daughter just moved next door to us into the apartment above our garage that my father rented.  A van would drive up about three or four times a week in the evenings to pick the woman up to take her to church.  This woman was Pentecostal.  I did not know too much about the Pentecostal belief, but I did learn quite a bit in one evening.  Since we already shared our faith and discussed the Bible and, I knew she prayed a lot; faithfully because you could not help hearing her through the walls in our own home (ha, ha, ha!).  The woman invited me to go with her to church one evening and I went.  The singing was good, joyful with a lot of praise but, had you seen my eyes and heard my thoughts, I freaked out.  The dancing was wild; the women would get in the middle of the isle, bob back and forth like pigeons on the street and arms out flapping like wings and lips shedding “la, la, la” a mile a minute.  People were moving chairs out of the way so heads would be spared the gashes.  Of course, I freaked out.  Would God allow His people to hurt themselves in worship to Him?  Oh, Lord!  I cannot (appropriately) dance, O LORD, unless YOU lead me.

Again, why AM I thinking about dancing?  During this COVID-19 pandemic, not many people would feel like dancing.  The “stay home, stay safe” has put a halt into almost all the daily activities that people love to engage.  There are quite a few people, maybe many that are “freaked out.”  It is not fun.  A song comes to mind that came out in the 70’s called, Freak Out by Chic and Nile Rogers.  Just read the words.

Aaahh freak out!
Le freak, see'est Chic
Freak out!
Aaahh freak out!
Le freak, see'est Chic
Freak out!

Have you heard about the new dance craze?
Listen to us, I'm sure you'll be amazed
Big fun to be had by everyone
It's up to you, it surely can be done
Young and old are doing it, I'm told
Just one try, and you too will be sold
It's called Le Freak! They're doing it night and day
Allow us, we'll show you the way

Like a few songs I have seen posted on Facebook and YouTube, if you changed just a few of the words to Freak Out, you would get a complete picture of the dance that most seem to be doing -- Freak Out.  Freak out, buy up the toilet paper.  Freak out, buy up the hand sanitizer and the Clorox wipes.  Freak out, buy up the masks and gloves.  Freak out, buy all sorts of goggles, masks, and face shields online.  Freak out, use Clorox wipes or Lysol spray to clean all the mail and packages that arrive at your door.  Freak out, use Clorox wipes on all the groceries you bought and reheat all the takeout food delivered to your door.  Freak out, watch all the news, social media reports and hear about the increase of cases and deaths.  Freak out, trying all the home remedies and buying up vitamin C and Zinc to prevent or aid in improving health.  Freak out because you have been cooped up for so long and all you want is things to go back to normal and they probably never will be again.  Freak out, because you are so obsessed about COVID-19 that you lose sight of your own well-being and sanity.  I mention the above (you could probably add to this list) because I have friends that “freak out” which is more on the side of panic then on the side of peace.  I am really concerned for those who “freak out” in panic mode; they cannot dance, O LORD, unless you lead them.

Personally, I am doing the dance led by God; dancing in Salvation and everlasting joy (Philippians 4:4); dancing in the Peace that this world cannot give and not allowing myself (my heart) to be troubled or anxious, but praying always without ceasing (John 14:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Philippians 4:6-7).  Yes, we are called to be careful, use a face mask and follow social distancing and I am fine and adhering to what is asked all of us to do to stay safe and well.  There is no time to “freak out,” panic or attack persons who look Asian, or spit on the Jews and police officers, or disregard the safety of others by continuing to gather in crowds without distancing yourself or wearing a face mask.  Yes, I had watched video clips and news clip of such behaviors and display of attitudes.  But, as I dance, O Lord as you lead me, I pray.  I pray for those who “freak out;” for those who disregard social distancing, for those infected by COVID and families who lost loved ones (too many losses) and, for those who join me in saying, “I cannot dance, O LORD, unless you lead me.”

Below are a few quotes that I found which really speak to dancing in life – I love what they say.  I wish you Peace that only God can give.

1]   The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.               Barbara De Angelis

2]   Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It's the rhythm of your life.             Jacques d'Amboise

3]   Life is like dancing. If we have a big floor, many people will dance. Some will get angry when the rhythm changes. But life is changing all the time.                     Miguel Angel Ruiz

4]   The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.      Alan Watts

5]   Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself.    Havelock Ellis

6]   To dance, put your hand on your heart and listen to the sound of your soul.    Eugene Louis Faccuito