“Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful.” —1 Corinthians 6:12, HCSB
Does the irony of your life ever strike you as hilarious? Would it shock you to know I’m listening to a Christian author online and yet I am also recovering from my Mom’s Night Out at the “Secret Pole Dancing Studio?” Am I going to hell? We’re married women after all.
Are you familiar with the term Pole Dancing? I’m wondering if they had it during Bible times. Um, Delilah perhaps or what about Potifer’s wife? This is how it started. I got a call from my friend Claire who says, get this, “I signed us up for Pole Dancing Class. We just wanted you to go for comic relief. If you don’t go, no one is going.”
I really struggled with this one. I’m a good girl. I’m a mom/Christian/wife/upstanding citizen. I don’t swear or smoke or do anything on the “naughty list.” So if I took this class would that make me naughty? It wasn’t a stripping class but a dance class and yes there was a pole involved. So I thought about it, and did what I thought was best. I put it on my Facebook wall and asked everyone to weigh in. About 90% of the responses said for me to “Go!”
So of course I discussed it with Ron and he was all for it. He said, “Well at least you’ll gain some material for your act!” I decided to do it but then the question was: What does one wear to such a class? Do I pull out my old Flashdance leotards from 1993? After all, this is now the latest craze in burning calories. I heard a male comic once say, “You have to give it to us men, we are clearly the smarter species. We’ve managed to convince women that pole dancing is a work out!”
So I did it. I went and it wasn’t at all what I expected. Our teacher “Shakira” was a lovely lady who was about 6′ 2″ and all “woman.” I have new respect for firemen or anyone who has to use all their upper body strength to go up or down a pole for their profession. I don’t think I’ll go again, even though my teacher told me I had great potential and if I purchased the class package I could be in their “recital.” Wouldn’t that create some lovely scrap book moments?
I was reminded tonight that I’m saved by God’s grace, not by my good behavior. There is no verse in the Bible that says taking a Pole Dancing class makes me a bad Christian. Also, I do not have the athletic stamina or flexibility after two kids to assume ANY of those maneuvers in this life time. I think I laughed so hard for an hour I burned more calories than any Zumba class I’ve ever taken.
I often think about the verse in Corinthians, “Everything is permissible but not everything is helpful.” I think God was talking about certain things I never need to do again now that I’m over 35, because they all look fun at first but then end up being painful. Some good examples are:
1. Horseback riding up a mountain is more than just a death wish. There are major painful side effects 24 hours later. You won’t be able to walk.
2. Ice Skating has the same side effects as horseback riding.
3. Pole Dancing has the same side effects as both activities and can severely bruise your self-esteem, which will cause major fits of crying and eating large quantities of ice cream and then weight gain. So Pole Dancing Causes Weight Gain!
Do you have any activities in your life that you’re convicted about? Maybe it’s a certain TV show that you’re addicted to that you never would admit to watching? Pray about it. Ask God to reveal His real opinion of it. I challenge you to be open to His answer. It can make us uncomfortable when God tells us that we are to be set apart. But in the long run, don’t you think it’s worth it? I do.
Take a MOMENT to think about…
1. Is there an activity you’ve tried that you were convicted about later?
2. Has God ever asked you to be set apart from your peers and not indulge in something because it wasn’t good for you in the end? Did you obey?
Dear God,
Thank You for giving us grace when we need it the most. Thank You for loving me, no matter what, even when I am bruised and broken.
Amen