dance in the desert.

can you?
without hesitation, my answer is "yes."

G-chat, the convenient chatting function on G-mail, is truly the one thing I cannot bear to be without at work. Through all the dry legal document review, G-chat is there to bring me news from the outside world via my fellow dying-at-work friends. So I guess it's not really news from the outside world... just chitter-chatter from other offices around Manhattan, harhar. Anyway, while Twitter is all the rage lately, I have managed to remain true to my G-chat status updates. I say, who needs Twitter when I have G-chat statuses?

I love G-chat statuses and I think they're super fun to read. Whoever has G-chat but doesn't have a semi-interesting status should get off G-chat. One friend in particular, who is currently studying to take the bar, always has pretty good ones. Recently, her status took a break from elaborating on the painful process of studying 10+ hours (or some other ridiculous amount) a day, to read, "Can you dance in the desert?" This phrase hasn't left my mind since I read it so I thought to myself, blog-time!

The origin of this question comes from a sermon that a guest speaker gave at my church a few weeks ago. I'll be honest and admit that I don't remember what this question was in reference to at the time. But wouldn't you like to know what I take from it? :)

So, my friend got back from Las Vegas recently and told me it was above 100 degrees everyday. This, ladies and gents, is what the desert is like. Too hot to tan, too dry to walk, let alone, dance. In a barren land of sand, heat, and cacti, no one in their right mind would venture outside of the air-conditioned casinos to brave the unbearable outdoors. I think this idea applies to a lot of situations in life. Giving up something comfortable to willingly engage in an activity of severe discomfort is definitely not appealing. So, how far would one go to disengage themselves from what they're accustomed to, to seek after a new experience? No matter the pain involved?

If the goal is something I'm extremely passionate about, I think I'd dance in the desert. I mean, I hate running on a treadmill in the gym, but that's because I know I have other means of losing the weight. I also believe in the security that I look okay without losing the weight immediately (bad example, but it's all I could think of right now, forgive me). However, if I was in a circumstance where no other options were given to me other than removing myself from my present situation to attain something of great value, I can dance. I can rock the eff out.

Now, bringing this question of dancing in the desert back to my faith, I don't know that I've been dancing hard enough or even at all. I want so badly to say that I can. But you know, the real question lies in the tricky little word, "would." Not can I, but would I dance in the desert for God? I've been so stagnant for so long and while knowing this, I haven't really done anything about it. Like the losing weight example, I know in my heart that He will love me regardless of my faults and forgive me of my sins unconditionally. Because I know this, I've been crawling along unable to walk, unable to run, unable to dance.

My Christianity is not the only thing this idea applies to. I have confidence that I can dance... in clubs. And that's about the only dancing I've been doing lately. If I learned to truly dance in the desert in all aspects of my life, I'd be on top of this fricking world. So I've come to the conclusion that from this point on, not only can I, but I would. No, I will.

Will you?

Cheers,

Cheryl