Let loose
Last night we attended the wedding of some of our friends from church. The ceremony was small, short, and wonderfully simple. The reception....well, it was where the focus went. It was awesome. A live jazz band that gelled together so harmoniously got everybody riled up and excited.
As I sat there, eating from my plate of cheese and fruit from one of the six "food stations" (have you heard about this? it's a great idea.), I watched as, one by one, members of the wedding party and general audience stepped onto the parkay dance floor. Needless to say, alcohol was in no short supply at the drink station, and so it contributed to the overall atmosphere most definitely.
What I noticed, though, was that people were dancing and flailing about as if there were no worries in their worlds. Old men, young men....70-plus women, and even a 2-year-old little girl all rocked and rolled till their heels came off and tuxs' ties were unfastened. The more lively the dancers became, the more frenzied the band members became. I marvelled at how extremely happy, carefree, and anything-but-self-conscious the participants were.
And I did remind myself that much of the frenzy was due in part to the liquour, I'm sure....and I also reminded myself of the fact that many of them were probably not truly happy unless they had eternal security in Christ completing the picture. Yet overall, it was so refreshing to see people who see the same depressing things on the news each day as we all do, people who have mortgages, debts, and wayward children, and people whose life is anything but perfect, just letting loose and forgetting it all for even just a little while.
Again I was reminded that life is too short to worry about your bank balance, to worry about what others think about you, to worry about getting things checked off of our planner's list of things to accomplish. Yes, there is responsibility, and yes, there are things which must be taken very seriously. Yet life without some aspects of fun and spontaniety would not be life at all.
I thank God for giving us laughter, friends, the ability to celebrate special milestones, and the blessing to let our hair down once in a while and just enjoy the lavish gifts He's given us.
As I sat there, eating from my plate of cheese and fruit from one of the six "food stations" (have you heard about this? it's a great idea.), I watched as, one by one, members of the wedding party and general audience stepped onto the parkay dance floor. Needless to say, alcohol was in no short supply at the drink station, and so it contributed to the overall atmosphere most definitely.
What I noticed, though, was that people were dancing and flailing about as if there were no worries in their worlds. Old men, young men....70-plus women, and even a 2-year-old little girl all rocked and rolled till their heels came off and tuxs' ties were unfastened. The more lively the dancers became, the more frenzied the band members became. I marvelled at how extremely happy, carefree, and anything-but-self-conscious the participants were.
And I did remind myself that much of the frenzy was due in part to the liquour, I'm sure....and I also reminded myself of the fact that many of them were probably not truly happy unless they had eternal security in Christ completing the picture. Yet overall, it was so refreshing to see people who see the same depressing things on the news each day as we all do, people who have mortgages, debts, and wayward children, and people whose life is anything but perfect, just letting loose and forgetting it all for even just a little while.
Again I was reminded that life is too short to worry about your bank balance, to worry about what others think about you, to worry about getting things checked off of our planner's list of things to accomplish. Yes, there is responsibility, and yes, there are things which must be taken very seriously. Yet life without some aspects of fun and spontaniety would not be life at all.
I thank God for giving us laughter, friends, the ability to celebrate special milestones, and the blessing to let our hair down once in a while and just enjoy the lavish gifts He's given us.
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