He Dances To Elmo

We sat outside of the room in plastic blue chairs waiting to head into the classroom this evening. It was the usually familiar routine for parent teacher conferences. We flipped through a packet of notes and grades that had been given to us as we entered the sixth grade hallway. No surprises... predictable high marks in each subject from my brown eyed pre-adolescent... until we got to the page labeled Science. Coincidentally his lowest grade; a little below perfect but that wasn't what caught our eyes.  Hand written in black ink on the white sheet of computer generated points and percentages it read "Where did Trey learn to dance?" Before we had a chance to hear, the door opened and we moved from the blue plastic chairs in the hallway filled with waiting parents to the ones on the other side of the half-moon table opposite to Mrs. Bailey, the science teacher. 

She proceeded to tell us that she had just been talking about Trey and asked if his ears were itching. She then began to tell this story.

You see if you attend Mrs. Bailey's 6th grade science class there is sometimes a little extra time at the end of class before the bell rings.  In this particular period there is a very special boy named Hunter who battles autism.  He has a fixation with Elmo. So on those days where there is a little extra time Mrs. Bailey will pull up Elmo dancing on You Tube to bring comfort and enjoyment to Hunter's world.  And on those days when Mrs. Bailey plays Elmo dancing, Hunter stands up and dances along.  As you can imagine this could get way out of control in a room full of awkward middle schoolers trying to pull out of childhood and find their place in the world.  I can only imagine the mocks and jeers my sixth grade class would have displayed at the unusually awkward presence of the now uncool Elmo in the classroom, not to mention a peer standing up and dancing alone.  The boys would make jokes to seem cool to the girls and the girls would either politely laugh at the boys comments hoping for their attention or shyly ignore the situation as not to stand out. This is not the report that Mrs. Bailey gave on the account of what happens in her classroom.  She continued with a smile on her face to say that Trey and one other boy get up and dance with Hunter when she plays Elmo.  And when they dance, they dance with kindness to make him feel at ease, so he is not alone. She finished up by saying, "And I don't know who taught him to dance but boy does he have the moves!"

It was in those moments at hearing the act of my son dancing to Elmo that the importance for high grades diminished, yes education is important and necessary and it doesn't come that easy for everyone. It's great to strive for excellence and do your very best everyday, but of utmost importance over a 4.0 grade point average is the grade point of the heart and depth of character.

I gave Trey a clear look of approval for his actions as humility flooded my heart.  This is something I had not specifically taught my son.  This act of dancing to Elmo speaks beyond the action itself.  The Lord has given Trey the gift of evangelism and hospitality.  He draws people in with his excitement for life in most every situation, well except for maybe doing dishes or eating any meal other than sushi.  He is passionate about Jesus with his whole heart and his unashamed attitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ is contagious.  At a very young age he began witnessing to his friends about Jesus  and even lead a neighbor boy through a prayer of salvation around the age of five.  Every Wednesday night we cart a load of middle school boys to youth group and they don't just get some teaching from the word at Church they get it on the 30 minute drive there and a recap on the way home laced with insight, excitement, and enthusiasm.  I don't write these words to puff myself up as a parent like, "Look what I've done,"  but to tell you that when you put the Word of God in your kids hearts, God shows up and brings his Holy Spirit to make it alive.  It is there that your child will learn to come alive with his or her giftings and abilities and fulfill their life purpose in reaching the lost for Christ weather traveling oversees to minister to an unreached people group or dancing undignified to Elmo in a small sixth grade class room in the Midwest. I've missed many opportunities and failed miserably as a parent.  I've half listened and over reacted.  I've chickened out in my own opportunities to be undignified and "mad" for My King.  But the truth of Christ that has been read, taught, prayed for and hopefully displayed in my flawed life of grace outshines all of the mosiac fractured pieces of parenting he has experienced. Trey's life has not been a continual bed of roses walk with Jesus either. He has experienced deep brokenness at a very early age through the tragedy of divorce.  Out of his brokenness he has clung to a Savior that has given him His joy to be his strength, which it is quite a beautiful collision in my son; authentic and a necessary sustenance in his everyday life as he walks his hard road and journeys to heaven while being given the ability to do an undignified Elmo dance along the way!

In the bible, 2 Samuel 6, tells of a similar account in King David's life.  David dances unashamed and excitedly before the Lord as he takes the presence of the Lord by the Ark of the Covenant back to his people.  He is so enthusiastic in his worshipful dance that he literally "looses his pants" in front of everyone without realizing it.  When he approaches his disapproving wife he exclaims, "I will celebrate before the Lord.  I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."

 May we each learn the lesson in doing whatever it takes to bring the light of Christ wherever we are.  Becoming undignified and unaware, removing presumptions, apprehensions, and comparisons in our worship of the Lord even if it means Dancing with Elmo!