The Dance

I recently saw Footloose the musical and was reminded again of why this is one of my favorite soundtracks. It makes me want to dance.
I used to be religious. Let me explain. I absolutely, 100% believe that God created man in His image. I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth to save the lost, heal the broken and redeem mankind so that we could have a meaningful relationship with God. Religion, however, takes this and adds so many rules to cloud and cover the real purpose of Christianity. Jesus' death and resurrection was the most beautiful story of redemption and sacrifice. It's all about love. God is love. He sent His son because of love. He left us with 2 commandments: 1)Love God and 2)Love People. Wearing pantyhose does not make me more godly. It only makes me look more foolish and hot when it's 100 degrees outside. Having tattoos or piercings doesn't make you less godly. It just means you opt for a style that many deem "unacceptable". Dating or courting or not dating or not courting does not make me a better individual. God has a plan for every person's life. He gave us free will and intended for us to use our minds. My plan may not look like anyone else's plan. So wouldn't it behoove me to hear from God about what He wants for me? After all, He made the plan. I used to think that in order to be better/holier than others, a certain set of rules/guidelines dictated by my authority were to be followed. I, at one time, was told that my previous Pastors did not approve of dancing at weddings. I was shocked and appauled at the time-- especially when I had such an eventful entrance planned when they announced Mr. & Mrs. at the reception. In a nutshell, it was Moulin Rouge meets Dirty Dancing (and no my future husband is not a gay man).

Movie: Footloose

Who knew that a cheesy 80's storyline could bring about so much dialogue? No one likes to be supressed or told what to do. Am I abdicating rebellion? Absolutely not. I know it's necessary to have guidelines, rules and standards to live a healthy lifestyle. Too much of anything is not good. Kevin Bacon's character, Reyn, wanted to be free from unwarranted rules. There is a time for everything. A time to fight for what's right. A time for dancing. A time to be free.