Have you ever had an “earworm”? You know– a popular song, often one that’s been overplayed, and you stopped liking it ages ago– “that” song pops into your head and you can’t seem to make it stop. Maybe it’s the theme song from The Flintstones, or a Celine Dion ballad that was wonderful the first fifty times you heard it on the radio; maybe it’s a commercial jingle, or Darth Vader’s theme from Star Wars. Whatever it is, it seems to follow you all day, or even all week.

I had an earworm the other week. It was a song that was popular a few years ago by a group called “Walk the Moon.” My husband and I took a brief vacation, and it seemed like every time we stopped to get a bite to eat, this song was playing. It’s called, “Shut Up and Dance With Me.” It’s a peppy, upbeat tune about a young man who meets his dream girl at a dance and decides that he and the woman are destined to be together forever. But instead of listening to his protestations of instant love, she simply pulls him onto the dance floor, saying, “Shut up and dance with me.” Pop music magic.

I say all this to set up an unexpected revelation. With this earworm playing in my head, it seemed to be distracting me even as I was trying to pray and read my Bible each morning last week. “Please, LORD, make this go away!” But there it was, just the same. Certainly not a song that Jesus would want me singing–even silently, right?

But then, I thought about the subtle message of the song– beyond the “love at first sight” and slightly pushy feminist vibe– “Stop talking. Stop trying to analyze everything. Just enjoy this. Engage with me. BE with me in the moment. Follow my lead.”

And suddenly, I could hear Jesus calling me. He would never use rude language, but how often does He gently ask me to stop fretting or trying to learn more about Him, when I could enjoy being with Him in the moment? When He invites me to “follow” Him, do I think of it as a summons to trudge along behind Him in grim obedience? Or do I see it as an invitation to let Him lead me in a dance? Last week, I wrote about following Jesus “more nearly.” Am I letting Him lead me through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23) or lead me in a dance at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19)? I think He asks us to do both.

Prayer doesn’t have to be solemn all the time. Yes, I need to acknowledge that Christ is far more than a dance partner at a discotheque. But Jesus wants to celebrate our relationship, to revel in it. There will be days of sorrow, pain, and grieving in this life. But there will be other days, now and throughout eternity, when Christ’s simple request is “dance with me!” Accept my blessings. Choose to revel in My Presence! May today be one of those days!