Response

Life calls us to respond.  In every niche, corner, and aspect of life, there is an invitation to be part of something far bigger, greater, and more wonderful than just yourself.  It is a wonderful invitation that kids often embrace far more willingly and completely than adults. 
I was watching kids at the playground enjoying their time in the sun under the clear blue sky.  It was wonderful!  The laughter and screams punctuated the silent whispers of nature with the odd sound of a squeak from the playground equipment accenting the wonderful music they were making.  There were no rules in this music!  Laughter came in all kinds of ways.  The pitch was uniquely each child's.  The decibel determined within each mind based on their reaction to the immediate events in the moment.  The playground equipment seemed to know this and followed their leads with a random kind of wonderful chaos.  It was truly wonderful, beautiful, and awe inspiring music.
As I walked away into the building quietness of a gentle breeze, I found myself wondering why I was so still when it comes to God and the people around me.  Was there a protocol that I had embraced?  Could the norms of society have bound me so tightly that I had lost my childlike enthusiasm for living?  Are the rules of proper decorum so entrenched in my life that I was no longer able to break free?
It is as if I have lost the ability to respond to life.  I am quiet with God, not real.  I am lethargic in relationships, not engaged.  I am overwhelmed by the evil and chaos of life, pummeled into a stillness that is the opposite of kids on a playground. 
Today presents an alternative.  When God touched someone's life, “the man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God.”  (Acts 3.8)  I wonder if I should do anything else.  Every decision, action, and choice can be part of a wonderful dance with God.  We're invited to a party, it is called life.