Dancing in Church

David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 2 Samuel 6:14

I do not dance. It makes me uncomfortable, not physically uncomfortable, but self-conscious – everyone is looking and pointing – uncomfortable. I just cannot get past the insecurity of feeling like I’m making a spectacle of myself. Even others dancing makes me uncomfortable. When someone dances in church, in a display of worship, my friends do not watch the dance. They watch me squirm.

I think I would have been particularly mortified by David’s display of worship in today’s passage. In the story, David was escorting the ark of the covenant when, overcome with worship, he shed his royal robes, and wearing only a particularly revealing garment, danced wildly in public. His wife, who witnessed the spectacle, was not impressed.

Embarrassed by her husband’s brazen display, she chastised him. David refused to be shamed though, insisting that he must worship God with all his might, even if this meant humiliating himself. He simply did not care about what others thought. I’m afraid I would have sided with David’s wife.

David danced and lived in a way with which I struggle. He did not concern himself with the opinion of others but rather, lived only to serve God. Though I want to follow God, I find myself, at times, overly concerned with the opinion of the world. I can obey God when asked to share His love with addicts, but if He asked me to dance in the street, my faith would be painfully tested.

I am not likely to start dancing in church, but I must learn to follow God as David did, shedding my insecurities about the world’s opinion of me. It is a continual exercise for me to look to God’s will and not my own. If I truly want to follow and worship God, I must realize that this is not about me.