He is Able, He is Willing

Come Ye sinners, poor and needy,
bruised and broken, sick and sore
Jesus, ready, stands to save you
full of pity, love, and power

He is able, He is able
He is willing, doubt no more
He is able, He is able
He is willing, doubt no more


These were the words I sang right before hopping up on stage to dance this morning. Tiffany and I did By Your Side at my church, this well-beloved and now very familiar dance that we've been performing since last June... Sometimes when you get ready to dance and minister, you feel so ready. Your body is warm and ready to go, your heart is where it needs to be, your mind is focused. And then there are days that are more like today. On this day I had 15 minutes to get up, get dressed, and get my hair and makeup done before dashing out the door (with the help of my sweet mom!). Then a fairly quick practice on stage, a little bit of time in between and then "oh my gosh! We need to get in there for the service!" Luckily, we were after the praise set, so we got to sing. This is always such a blessing when things happen in this order, because we get to sing and praise and get that "warmed up," so to speak. And then the dance.

If you have never seen By Your Side, you should know that it is rather dramatic. Correction, VERY dramatic (don't believe me? look it up on Youtube. Search for CMA By Your Side). It is part drama, part dance. I am the "sinner" in the story, which has been really good in so many ways, because the person I portray in the dance was the person who I was back in 2008. The story the dance tells is mine. So every time that I do this dance, I ask the Lord to remind me of that place in my life--those emotions, those thoughts and feelings. Today was one of those days when it didn't feel "there." I couldn't get into it. I prayed those song lyrics listed above as I sang them, because I felt like the empty person with nothing to offer. I just remember praying "well Lord, if I can't actually feel the emotion, then at least give me the face to portray the emotion." (For the record, this is a good prayer for me to pray. I don't naturally have the most dramatic face in the world, so sometimes it can be a challenge for me...) And praise the Lord, He did....from what people said afterward, I know that HE gave me the expression I needed today. Praise the Lord that He is the one who works, that nothing is impossible for Him! I continue to stand in awe of the way He chooses to work through me and lets me come along for the ride. He is able, He is willing, I will no longer doubt now that my eyes have seen Him and His greatness!

Y'all, I may not have a college education. I may have skipped out on a bunch of classes in high school. But I can tell you that God is BIG, He is good to the one who looks to Him and abides, and that He is faithful in His promises. Oh Lord, may I be your hands, your feet, your voice, your face to the world around me! May I serve as a signpost that points others to you in all I do...