Recently, my friend, Joyous Lesperance sent me the following story about *God dancing on potato chips. How serendipitous it has been the last two weeks to hear Leeann Womack sing "I Hope You Dance" on Oprah, which we immediately went
out and bought. On Easter Sunday, we sang "Lord of the Dance" in church and now
I receive an e-mail about God dancing on potato chips! I immediately noticed after meditation this morning that the word GUIDANCE could be a word play on: "Gee,
U & I Dance" whenever we are connected to Source. What a grand metaphor! Dr. Doreen Virtue's "Healing With The Angel Oracle Cards" is a wonderful reflection for personalized messages. When I drew PLAYFULLNESS it said: "Fun and play is the angel's way. They guide you to add fun in your life and to know FUN is a necessity, not a luxury. You may protest that you don't have enough time, money or energy
to play, yet playfulness is a wonderful investment that yields immediate returns. When you have fun and laugh, you relax, which gives you a great inflow of ideas, spiritual connection, divine guidance and energy. When you look at life in this way, you can't afford NOT to have fun."

Almost everyone I know is currently experiencing "challenges." Lee Carroll-Kryon
said in a parable that "The old ways will no longer work. They will fall as seeds on barren ground and they will no longer grow. Even the most successful old energy methods are falling away. The ones that will be successful now are new, different, and represent uncharted waters. They are the same methods that will be filled with love, abundance and positive results." We have only to look at the current energy crisis in California to understand that the old way of using fossil fuels is no longer working. We have to explore alternative fuels or we will have global crisis. The same is true in our personal lives. It's time to plant new dance seeds and begin to prance and romance the FUN frequency by trusting our "guidance." It will lead to flowering new levels of abundance.

Is God Dancing on your Potato Chips?

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went
to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk
at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was left over baked beans. I grabbed the Tupper-ware container from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open.
I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty. It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within seconds he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process! I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I
had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that. So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess. What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all.

Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way He did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond. Do I trust Him? Even when He's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when She's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what She's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance He's dancin' with my needs in mind? I'll be honest with you: sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. She loves me and I can trust Her. Even when the chips are down.

As Lee Ann Womack sings:

I HOPE YOU DANCE...I hope you never lose your sense of wonder.
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger...I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens...And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance... DANCE...IHOPE YOU DANCE.