limits

I am learning Middle Eastern dance, also known as belly dancing. The dance is fun, the costumes are colorful and the history is interesting. I love dance because it is a form of beauty and creative expression. There are two levels in this type of dance class, the first is purely instructional (this is the class I am involved in) and the second is performance oriented.

If you’ve ever experienced Middle Eastern dance, you’ll quickly realize it is sensual. Historically, Middle Eastern women danced only for other women, not for men. This is not the case in America. The performance class does not restrict their audience to women only. There is no bouncer at the door escorting men off the premises. A man watching this type of dance may enjoy it, a little too much. For this reason, my husband and I feel that if I were to become involved in performances of this dance, it would be a bad thing for us.

For some reason this reality was frustrating to me last week. I didn’t know if I would ever actually want to participate in the performance dance class, but I knew I wanted the option to. I felt it was unfair that I should be limited in my pursuit of a beautiful art form. I vented about it to my husband, who listened patiently and said little (smart man, isn’t he?).

In the shower as I was thinking, I sensed God doing his gentle nudging thing. A question entered my mind… “Will you limit yourself?”

Immediately, I thought of Jesus. Jesus limited himself by coming to earth to live among us, and he continued to limit himself the entire time he resided with us in the flesh. He was God and he allowed himself to need parents to care for him. He confined himself to a human body, with a need for food and sleep. He had the authority to command angels, and he gave that up. He was God and he allowed human beings to mock him, beat him and eventually kill him. Jesus limited himself for our sake.

I love Jesus and want to emulate all he does, because I believe he is the wisest and truest being ever to live. I believe his is the path to true life. If he limited himself, I am willing to do it too.

So though I am free to dance for anyone I wish, I will choose to limit myself because Jesus asked it of me. He didn’t command me or make me, he just asked me.

That’s his way.

Phil. 2:5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!