In the Spring of 2007, Bob and I started taking ballroom dance lessons. I had grown up taking ballet and going to social dances so this was something I was comfortable with. Bob, on the other hand, had no dance background. During one of our early lessons I figured I understood what I was doing better than he did so I tried to show him how to do the step without his knowing that I was showing him. That was when he took a step backward, put his arms across his chest and asked, “So, are you going to push me around the dance floor again tonight?”
I was horrified–first, because he’d found me out, but more importantly, I realized that I “push him around” when we’re not on the dance floor. That’s not something I want to do.
As we continued our lessons, we saw more and more parallels between ballroom dance and Christian marriage. In order to have a beautiful dance or a beautiful marriage, there must be communication that comes from the heart, a man who is willing to lead, a woman who is willing to follow, two partners who see their differences as a strength rather than a weakness, and a willingness to confront the problem areas and get rid of them.
