Who Are You Dancing With?
Don't dance with the devil.
The movie It’s a Wonderful Life is a story about George and Mary.
They meet, fall in love, and marry.
When George’s father dies, they choose to give up their personal dreams to continue his dad’s banking business, which has been good to everyone who lives in their community.
As is often the case in good lives and good businesses, someone wanted to destroy what they were doing.
The character, through which the 'devil' plays its hand, tricks George into believing he has failed everyone.
And so George begins his dance with the devil.
He reviews his past and sees only failures. He decides it would be better for everyone if he died so his family could have his insurance money.
At that moment, Love steps in through an unlikely Angel named Clarence.
Clarence shows George what would have happened to the town and his family if he had not been born. George discovers that what he had considered a useless life has affected all who live in his community for good.
Because of this new awareness, his faith in the power of goodness and love returns, and he stops dancing with the devil of doubt.
On returning home, he finds the entire community waiting for him and rejoicing in his awakening. Through this incredible display of Love, he realizes that, indeed, it is a wonderful life.
The story never fails to remind me of the dangers of dancing with the devil and the power of Love to overcome that danger when we choose Angels as our partners.
However, we often dance with the devil without being aware of it.
When we review who we are, what we have done, and what we have and then hold it up as not enough or unimportant, we dance with the devil.
We dance with the devil when we are afraid, angry, sad, and discouraged.
The devil has two dance soundtracks.
One soundtrack plays songs about the worldview of not enough, won't work, small, lack, no good, and bad.
His other soundtrack plays songs that sell us on the benefits of dancing with him as we follow him in all our daily pursuits. The tempter, or the devil, promises us rewards beyond our imagination. It promises us that we will be kings and queens of our world.
This is the most dangerous dance of all because, in this dance, the devil is disguising himself as good. We can often miss the fact that the devil is our partner because he gives us what we desire.
We would do well to stop and ask ourselves often, “With whom am I dancing?”
Whichever song the devil plays to entice us to dance, the devil is the only one who benefits.
There is no lasting happiness when we choose to dance with the devil, known as the worldview of survival, separation, and greed. The tempter. The one who causes us to doubt.
If it feels as if there is happiness one day, that illusion will melt away, and we will see clearly that we have chosen the wrong partner.
Turn off the devil’s soundtrack and walk away from its dance.
Dance with the Angels instead.
Angels will tell you of the power of love, abundance, goodness, and happiness.
They will sing to you about what works, what's beautiful, the truth of your innate perfection, and the gift of your being that blesses all you meet.
They will unite. Not separate.
We cannot dance with the devil and with Angels at the same time.
The next time a negative emotion, situation, thought, or idea calls you to dance with it, stop and look closely at who is asking for a dance.
If it is the devil, tell it, “No!”
Choose instead to dance only with the Angels, letting Love guide your steps into your wonderful life!