I warned you somewhere that some of the quotes I post here would be silly. This could count as a silly one, but it’s also one of those small sentences that simply jumped off the page and then proceeded to stick with me for years. It’s rather strange as I am not particularly fond of dancing (at least not in the general sense).
But I love the story this is from. It’s definitely not a serious story, but a romping tale full of hilarious characters, a mountain that rises and falls and a rather large, sleepy personage. There's a clumsy girl who loses her hat, a worrying little man with a sad story, and a spoiled king. It is aimed for children but is well worth the read for anyone of any age. It really has a fairytale feel that can be hard to find.
This quote is a great excerpt and touches a little on the whimsical yet practical theme embedded in the story.
Life is a mess. Things go wrong. But rather than sit around and mope about it, rather than despair and give up, we should pick up a broom and get cleaning.
Life is a miracle. Even the fact that we have life is a miracle. From squelching mud to fluttering butterflies, everyday is full of countless miracles and amazements, so we should be dancing with joy as we wield that broom.
We should acknowledge the mess, acknowledge the miracle and work with joy and energy at whatever task is right in front of us.
It’s a rather simple and obvious truth, but exceedingly easy to forget; especially in a day and age where moping about in self-pity tends to be considered the healthy norm.
God has called us to work and rejoice and, even if we don’t feel like it, sometimes if we give the effort to obey and trust him, feelings follow. And maybe you’ll find yourself dancing or in my case skipping and spinning (wait, do I like to dance after all...?), because every breath is a miracle gifted to us by our Faithful Creator.
All this put me in mind of a poem from another story; a poem I'm also rather fond of:
A Song from the Suds
By Louisa May Alcott
Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,
While the white foam raises high,
And sturdily wash, and rinse, and wring,
And fasten the clothes to dry;
Then out in the free fresh air they swing,
Under the sunny sky.
I wish we could wash from our hearts and our souls
The stains of the week away,
And let water and air by their magic make
Ourselves as pure as they;
Then on the earth there would be indeed
A glorious washing day!
Along the path of a useful life
Will heart's-ease ever bloom;
The busy mind has no time to think
Of sorrow, or care, or gloom;
And anxious thoughts may be swept away
As we busily wield a broom.
I am glad a task to me is given
To labor at day by day;
For it brings me health, and strength, and hope,
And I cheerfully learn to say-
'Head, you may think; heart, you may feel;
But hand, you shall work always!'
Perhaps someday I'll post more from that particular story, but for now, glory in bubbles as you wash the dishes and skip as you sweep the floors.
P.S: (Hebrews 10:21-22)
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.