The Day I Danced with Jesus 

                  A year’s worth of planning and fund-raising finally neared its climactic fulfillment when we boarded our plane for Guatemala. No amount of daydreaming from the window seat could compete with our upcoming reality; it was so much more than I had ever imagined.

The beautiful scenic views of volcanic mountains nestled against the large expanse of pristine waters literally took my breath away. My camera was hard pressed to keep up with my constant demands. I was determined not to blink in case I’d miss something. The sights, sounds, and smells of a culture I never knew quickly became my own as I fell deeply in love. I knew I would never be the same when I took my first deep gaze into the piercing black pools of their cherub faces. The wide-open expanse of hungry hearts surrounded me and I plunged without thought into their depths of need. This free-fall of love intensified with every ensuing God-encounter I had with these precious little ones.

As we sang and danced with several hundred children one clear morning in the small Atitlan Lake Village of Santa Clara I was simultaneously whisked away to a familiar place I had never been. We were walking alone comfortably arm in arm through endless meadows of lush Heaven when His tender voice broke through the smooth silence, “Remember when we danced in Santa Clara?” My questioning heart embraced His answer when a dozen or so children materialized from behind My Master’s robe. The children and I shared without the hindrance of language barriers and the fellowship was intensely moving. Swept from one emotional scene to the next He continued, “Remember when I felt forgotten and alone in Panabar and your arms swooped Me up into My Father’s Kingdom?” Again precious souls emerged from behind His robe and fell into my arms in an overwhelming moment of acknowledgement. “Remember when you painted My nails, braided My hair, and held My face in your hands as you prayed for Me?” No need to ask, “When Lord?” for they too came forth as precious jewels, surrounding me with wonder and gratitude.

Tears swelled and dripped down my cheek bringing me back to time and space and I looked around at the faces all about me with newfound intensity. In Matthew 25 our Lord said most earnestly “When you have ministered to the least of these…you have ministered unto ME.” Never before have those words rung more profoundly true; I thought I was loving them, but He showed me that I was most passionately loving Him. We misinterpret Intimacy with God; we equate endless hours pouring over scripture intense with prayer as the only means. But that morning in Santa Clara I discovered there is nothing more precious or intimate than literally touching the Heart of God by ministering to the needs of Christ through His lambs.  I’ll never forget the day my silly indignity encountered His sovereign deity when I twirled, stomped and jumped, off beat and awkwardly, in that small village church, for it was the day I danced with Jesus.