When was the last time we danced like no one is watching? That’s what a popular sign says – ‘dance like no one’s watching, love like you have never been hurt, sing like no one’s listening, live like heaven is on earth’. The sign is popular because these feel like wise words, words that remind us it is ok to embrace life in diverse ways. We need to be reminded, because doing such things is not always easy.
David once danced with that wild abandon that suggests he didn’t care who was watching. He was so caught up in his joy of bringing the arc of the covenant to its resting place that he danced so much there was sweat dripping with the exertion. He praised the Lord with every move, trusting in God’s presence with him and the people. David was completely and thoroughly entranced by his faith and expressed this through dance.
Dance like no one’s watching. But someone was watching. Michal, the daughter of Saul, saw David’s display and despised him. She judged his actions. She judged him. Amid this powerful story of full-bodied expressive faith, we get a glimpse of the fear that we all have when we try to live fully: the judgment of others.
There is a reason the advice is ‘dance like no one’s watching’. When no one is watching, we don’t have to worry about judgment. When we are not alone, it feels different. It is hard not to care about what others might think. It is the watching that makes us tenuous, uncertain, and reserved. We don’t want to be despised. We don’t want people to look down on us. We want to be respected. We want to fit in and, at times it feels as though the best way for that to happen is to hold back.
How often do we hold back? How often do we shy away from fully embracing our feelings? How often do we shy away from fully embracing ourselves? How often do we avoid trying something new? How often do we choose not to participate fully? How often are we more concerned about what others may think than we are about being who we have been created to be, living our best lives, and giving thanks to the One who is the Giver of all good gifts? How often do we fail to dance like no one’s watching?
It takes courage and confidence to truly be ourselves. It helps if there are spaces where we trust people are accepting, inclusive, and affirming. These safe spaces can be grace-filled, powerful places through which we can better explore who we are and how we want to reveal ourselves to the world. These safe spaces are vital for us to practice dancing like no one’s watching and trusting that no matter how well or how poorly we actually dance, we will not be judged, we will be supported and embraced for who we are.
Dance like no one’s watching. Trust that God has given each of us gifts that God wants us to use. God took joy in the dance of David and David’s companions. God takes joy in our singing and dancing. God sees our joy and knows this is a blessing. God longs for all people to have the space and opportunity to metaphorically and literally dance like no one’s watching.
May we have the courage and confidence to be fully ourselves and, with grace and hope, may we continually create spaces for diverse people to feel safe in living fully who they are. Let us praise God as we dance like no one’s watching, love like we have never been hurt, sing like no one’s listening, and live like heaven is on earth, all for the glory of the One who is the giver of all good gifts. Amen.