Dancing on the Shore

I went for a drive without much of a destination in mind, but a desperate need to be alone. To clear my thoughts. To breathe.

As I drove, I found myself nearing the fresh, salty air and the bright blue skies that faded into the deep blue of the ocean in the distance.

Peace.

As I stood with my toes buried in the sand freshly chilled by the ocean waves, I soaked in my surroundings. Running around the shore there was a little girl, who could not have been more than five years old, having the time of her life. Further out in the water stood her dad, observing her frolics through the water not deep enough to hit her ankles. As he stood with the waves up to his knees, he called out to his little girl. She could hardly hear him over her laughter and overwhelming joy that seemed to have overcome every fiber of her being. She was joyously content. She cried out to her daddy, wanting to show him how much she enjoyed being right where she was. He continued to call out to her, wanting her to join him in the deeper waters. But the shore was more than enough for her.

I heard the stillness of the Lord's whispers dance off the waves as I stood in the midst of this sweet moment drawing me to pay close attention to this exchange occurring before me.

That little girl, dancing content on the shores of the vast ocean, reminds me so much of someone I know very personally. Someone I cannot seem to escape. Someone I call "me".

How many times have I frolicked in contentment with my own plans, ideas, securities, dreams? How many times have I called out to my Father to show Him what I was doing while I ignored His calls to me? How many times have I noticed His presence only so I can be sure He is noticing me? How many times have I refused to walk further into the waters, even though it meant being closer to the One who was calling me near? How many times have I stayed, right where I am, when my Creator just wanted me to be right where He was?

I don't know what it is about the depths that seem to confine me to the shores. All I know is that I've got the dance down where I'm comfortable and secure. I know it so well, I have no problem showing it off when life is familiar and easy to prance through. It is those waters that I have left uncharted that I don't seem to trust. They are just too big, too unknown, too foreign, too overwhelming. What if I do go deeper? Then my dance is going to have to change. I can no longer scamper around like I once did so well. Walking into the waves requires different steps than I have been doing.

But that is where my Dad is. Our Abba.

I call out to my Father just to ensure that He is still paying attention to me; failing to realize that I have never once lost His attention. He stands aware of every move, even when I move farther and farther from Him. And as I call, His heart leaps at the reminder that I have not forgotten His existence. But my cries are all in vain as I continue my dance through my sweet naivety of what awaits beyond the waves. My laughter fills the air and I cannot imagine there being anything better than where I have found security.

When I pause long enough, I hear the cries of my Father, calling me closer to Him. His sweet voice beckons me to join Him in the deeper unknown. How can I resist? But I do. His voice is drowned out by the sound of my contentment as I dance through my own familiarity. Yet His call remains constant still. "Come."

He is a good, good Father. He wants to reveal so many wonders to His children. All we have to do is step beyond our contentment and run towards the arms of our Dad. You are noticed by the Father; He is enthralled by you and has never stopped fixing His attention on you. He is calling you closer, just to be with Him. He wants to teach you a new dance that takes place in deeper waters.

He wants more than your attention, as you dance along the shore. He wants to wrap you in His arms and take you beyond where you have been before.