Have you ever danced with a partner? Parent, sibling, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, whoever it was. I don’t mean that everybody-doing-their-own-dance, but real, structured partner dancing, like a waltz, foxtrot or swing dance. As a woman, traditionally it is my role in partner dancing to follow my dance partner. Let me tell you that this has not always been easy for me, and still isn’t.

My sense of rhythm and music is finely tuned. My dad’s sense of rhythm does not match mine, and it took me years of daddy-daughter dances to let go of the rhythm I heard – let’s call it my rhythm – and follow his. Sometimes the dance is fast, sometimes it is slow, and sometimes my dad will pull me in close and I’ll lean my head on his shoulder and not know where he’s taking me, but following nonetheless, trusting him not to bump into anyone. And I love it. I might be grown up now, but I still dance with my dad every chance I get.

My relationship with God is like that. I try to follow him. Just as it took me years to learn to follow my dad, so it takes time to learn to follow our Heavenly Father. Sometimes He moves quickly, sometimes He moves in baby steps. And sometimes He pulls you in close to show you His deep love. It can be scary, not knowing where He leads, but if we trust Him, the result will be beautiful. But it only works if we are in tune with Him, listening to His rhythm, not our own. Is it easy? No. But if we try our best, the rewards are amazing.