The Line Dance Surprise (How an Act of Service Evolved into Much More)

Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/group-of-people-dancing-6Woj_wozqmA

My heart beat against my chest like a gorilla stuffed into a Happy Meal box. The dance instructor was calling for all the newbies to line up on the floor. I set down my non-alcoholic drink and motioned for my wife to follow. No liquid courage coursed through my veins, but my wife’s smile was more than enough to keep my feet heading in the direction they didn’t want to go.

I’ve always hated dancing. Put me in the mosh pit any day, but dancing? No thanks. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to expose themselves in such a goofy way. Even King David didn’t escape the piercing eyes of scrutiny when he was dancing.

However, I put all of this aside for my wife this past weekend. She has wanted me to take her line dancing for quite some time. I saw that an event was taking place nearby and suggested we go. Over the years, I’ve learned that serving my wife doesn’t mean I need to understand her desires but that I should be sensitive to them regardless. Take flowers, for instance.

Flowers

When we were younger, in our teens and early 20s, I didn’t buy my wife flowers much because I didn’t understand why people liked getting them. As I matured, I realized this was not the way to love someone. You don’t do nice things for them because you understand it, you do nice things because it resonates with them. So for years now, I always make sure my wife has fresh flowers once the ones I got her previously begin to wilt. I even take my time picking out which ones I think she’ll really enjoy. No wilting flowers on my countertops!

Did I make this up? Absolutely not. God's people have been practicing this way of living for a long time. One of many places we find this in the Bible is in the book of Philippians:

Philippians 2:3-4 (CSB)
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

Putting Others First

It’s important that we as Christians put the interests of others above our own. It’s easy to do the things we want to do, and enjoy doing, with the people we love. It’s a whole other thing when it’s something we don’t want to do, but we submit ourselves to the other person and do it anyway. When we put others first, not only are we demonstrating the love and compassion we see in our Lord Jesus Christ, but we are opening ourselves up to blessings that we may not have even considered.

The Blessing I Didn’t Know I Needed

After just a few minutes of dancing, I realized that it was actually pretty fun. Wouldn’t you know, it’s just like our God, that in doing this kind act for my wife and loving her, I was blessed in the process. It was fun, and I was growing closer to my wife in a way we had never experienced before: we both went out of our comfort zones and grew from the experience. Not only did we develop a new hobby, but we added an additional chink in the armor that surrounds our marriage.

Sometimes, it’s better to humble yourself and do things you don’t want to do or don’t understand—if it’s for the people you love. I didn’t understand the flowers, but I actually love them now. I adore flowers. Give me all the flowers. I didn’t understand why anyone would ever enjoy dancing either, but I do now. I enjoy it!

Conclusion

I see now how acts of service can actually change our hearts and make us enjoy the things we either never understood or straight-up despised. Serving others is a blessing to them, but it can also be a blessing to ourselves. We can develop new appreciations, perspectives, and even new hobbies.