As a Little Child

When I was little I would often "dance" in front of our fireplace shield. It would reflect my feet as I shuffled them as quickly as I could, one in front of the other and back again. I danced and danced and danced, often asking people to watch me, sure they would be impressed with how fast I could move as I danced in front of my reflection. I'm sure most people said, "That's nice," or "Uh-huh," and moved on, which was okay for me. But when no one was looking I was still satisfied, knowing that I was a good dancer.

Sometimes I stop and think about our responses to compliments as adults, and how much we rely on those compliments to keep doing what we want to do. And yet, I used to respond to compliments with, "Well thanks, but I don't really do it that well," or "I don't know about that," and other such things as this. Sometimes I am afraid to do something that I know I don't do well, or I'm not sure if I do it well, even if I enjoy doing it.

A friend and I were talking about children and how humble and honest and full of faith they are. They do things if they want to, not because they are good at it, and they love it anyway. I could use more of this. Doing things because I want to and because it brings satisfaction, and not because I am good at it. I have also learned that it is okay to say, "Thank you, I really appreciate it." I think that when we are gracious we let the person giving the compliment know that their opinion is valid, and that we do, after all, have something to offer. My friend said that she heard this from another friend one time. "When you deny a compliment, you are denying that God gave you a gift." God gave us so many gifts, let us not deny that we have them!

Dance because you love it.