When You Don’t Feel Like Dancing

As your alarm goes off and your eyes open, a smile crosses your face. You can feel the potential of the day, the joy of being alive. Your feet hit the ground, you open your journal and Bible, and begin to hear what God has to say to you. Everything feels right, in alignment, holy energized, and wholly alive.

These are the days we feel like dancing. Every song on our playlist makes us smile and groove. We can almost feel God's radiant smile upon us, and we know that everything's gonna be alright.

Then there are days we don't feel like dancing, the days when the chains of life weigh heavily around our necks. Stresses like money troubles, problems at work, arguments with family, and a million other things sit on our shoulders, and we feel their heaviness with acute precision. We don't feel like dancing and sometimes wonder if we ever will again.

So, where is God on these no dancing days?

Is God somehow absent, withholding divine pleasure from us? Is God frustrated with us for letting the weight of the world hinder our faith walk?

No, God is present and active, loving us with countless waves of blessing and adoration. God is in love with us whether we’re dancing or not.

But that doesn't fix these gloomy, depressed, stressed-out days. What can be done?

Sometimes there's no quick fix, nothing that will quickly make us rejoice again. But these moments matter. Without them, we might be euphoric all the time, but there would be no challenge. Without challenge, there would be no growth.

So, what can you do?

Show up anyway.

There is always the temptation to hide in a busy activity like work, or passive lethargy like binge-watching all six seasons of a new show. Sometimes, you just want to pull the covers over your head and go back to sleep. When you hide like this, you don't show up. You may be physically in the room, but mentally you’re checked out and vacant.

Stay present and show up. Check-in with yourself; make sure you're feeling your feelings and not shutting down. Write in your journal what's going on. Talk to a friend and admit you want to check out from life for awhile. Be honest about your situation and keep trying anyway.

Try a centering prayer if you're having trouble staying present or checking in with yourself.

Sit still for 30 seconds, then pray, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me." It's a prayer for help and relief. But it's also a prayer to see what comes up in your heart. Where do you need mercy? Where do you need Jesus to be with you? See what feelings erupt. Write them down. Record what you're feeling. This will help you sort out the chaos of stress in your chest and help you be present even in the heaviness of life.

Showing up takes awareness and honesty of where we are.

Honesty makes the monsters shrink. When you’re honest and try to show up, you take power away from the situation and the stress. You admit that God is bigger than this thing and that you are more than capable of surviving and thriving despite this.

When depression settles in, another great move is to talk to someone: a friend, a pastor, a counselor.

Find the right person for the topic and the situation, and spill your guts. Then listen. Hear what the Spirit has to say to you through the other people in your life. Listen to the wisdom of their lives and let them speak to your situation. As you learn, as you grow, you'll find the strength and resilience in your bones rising up and coming out in new and surprising ways.

Be prepared, though; this may be a long game.

You may be down for a while. Dancing might not come back quickly. And that's ok. Know that the night will end, and you will dance again. Until that time, know that God is with you, close to you, sitting in your stress with you. God isn't only happy with you when you're dancing. God loves you because you are you no matter the situation of life.

Take heart.

Nothing will get the final word except life and love with God on your side. The hard things will pass, but God is with you, for you, and dancing or not, God will never leave you or forsake you.

What helps you most when you don’t feel like dancing? Where can you see God showing up for you in your life right now?

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