Fathers and Mothers: Devotions from Time of GraceSample

"Laying a Foundation: May I Have This Dance?

When you’re on a dance floor and it's a “modern” dance, people don’t have to pay the slightest bit of attention to what their partners are doing. You do your thing; they do their thing. You don’t have to coordinate anything. You can just bust your moves. The floor is full of people basically dancing by themselves in the general vicinity of a “partner”.

Being happily married, however, is more like a waltz or a tango. You have to hold each other carefully, move in sync with each other, pay attention to your partner, and mind your feet. In both marriage and ballroom dancing, someone has to lead and someone has to be willing to be led. You have to communicate so that you can move gracefully together.

Do you think that the cosmic designer and engineer of gender, sexuality, and marriage might know how this dance works best? “Husbands, . . . be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect” (1 Peter 3:7).

This means that men need to step up and accept responsibility for leadership, leading like Jesus. He led like a servant, willing to give up his life for the people he loved. This means that women need to surrender some of their independence and cheerfully place themselves under the leadership of their husbands, whom God expects to represent Jesus in the home.

Do you trust the divine dance instructor enough to let him teach you his moves?"