I gotta be honest, I had a GREAT New Year’s Eve.
Plans didn’t come together until the day before, and I had gotten really excited about parking it on the couch with Brad until around 10 PM or so, then calling it a night. (Such a rowdy party animal.)
But THEN…the offer came through. One of Brad’s buddies from his men’s Bible study and his fabulous wife were having people over. The game was gonna be on a projector outside and karaoke was gonna be set up in the garage. Everybody bring an appetizer and whatever you want to drink.
Sounded perfect.
I’ve never officially sung karaoke but I have played Rock Band. And what I lack in talent, I make up for in how much fun I’m having.
‘Karaoke set up in the garage’ hardly did justice to what we saw when we pulled into their driveway. There were three legitimate microphones, a disco ball and colored lights flashing. The laptop was set up to massive speakers (poor neighbors) and I swear we could have been in a club somewhere (except it was only super fun people I knew with MUCH better food).
There were three different parties going on at the house: a grownup party, a college party and a high school party. There was occasional overlap around the food and, of course, around the garage.
And once the singing started, well, let’s just say it didn’t take me long to warm up.
In my old age I’ve discovered how much more fun it is to let go of playing it cool and just be me. And unfortunately for anyone who has to live with me or ride in the car with me, I LOVE to sing and dance.
So when I got in front of the microphone, well, I was home. And I went all in.
Phones came out and we were all videoing each other. Brad sent one video of me to our son who responded with, “Looks like a bunch of drunk girls.”
Wanna hear something funny?
I wasn’t.
Drunk, I mean.
I’ve finally learned how to pace myself and at the time of the taping, I was fine. (As the night wore on, not so much.) But I loved how the only possible explanation in Beau’s mind for anyone being able to cut loose like that had to be alcohol.
And it’s a fair assumption. In a world where we’re taught to blend in, play it cool, keep your guard up and generally shrink yourself lest you make someone else uncomfortable, we assume that any time someone isn’t playing by those rules (sporting events being one of the only exceptions), well, there must be something wrong with them.
And this has been going on for years. There are several examples in the Bible of people going all in and others assuming insanity or drunkenness.
King David was arguably the greatest worshipper in history of our faith. He was a royal mess, just like us, with bigger screw ups than most of us will ever commit. He knew great victory and great defeat. He knew true fellowship with God, and he knew hiding and distance. He experienced every great high and devastating low this life has to offer, and when it all came down, he was a passionate, unashamed, and unapologetic worshipper of his God.
He developed quite an ‘undignified’ reputation when the ark of the Lord was finally brought home to Jerusalem. He led the parade, half-dressed and lost in love with his God. I’m sure that made a lot of people uncomfortable. And his wife, Michal, did not hide her disapproval and embarrassment, and essentially scolded the king for his unruly behavior.
But King David would have none of it.
It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when He appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes (2 Samuel 6:21-22).
(Cue Bachman Turner Overdrive: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.)
A generation or two before that, Hannah (mother of the great prophet Samuel) was praying passionately at the temple for a son. She had been barren for years and as heartbreaking as that is these days, back then it was even worse. If you can’t have children now, you are met with compassion and sympathy. Back then you were judged and shamed.
As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, ‘How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.’
‘Not so, my lord,’ Hannah replied, ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.’
Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him’ 1 Samuel 1:12-17.
And then in Acts 2, there’s the famous Pentecost when the Holy Spirit shows up, as Jesus promised.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. … Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however, made fun of them and said, They have had too much wine.’ (vv 1-6, 12-13).
Peter goes into one of his famous orations, explaining that nobody’s drunk (as it was only 9 AM) but the Spirit of God had come upon them, just like the prophets said.
Now, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the Holy Spirit inspiring my performances of Pour Some Sugar On Me and Love Shack. But you get my point.
Occasionally when the right song comes on, I just have to burst into song and dance. In the kitchen, in the car, in Publix. And poor Caroline (who has become annoyingly cool in recent days) gets so embarrassed. In her younger days, she would join right in, laughing the whole time. But now she’s a tween. Need I say more?
And whenever this happens, I grin at her and say, “I’m having more fun than you,” daring her to join me. Sometimes it works.
But I know for a fact, she secretly wants to.
When people throw themselves into their faith, their dream, their life, they are regularly put down, to their faces or behind their backs.
But I’m starting to believe that we’re all actually wired to live out loud and go all in.
The irony is when you’re singing karaoke, if you try to play it cool, you just end up looking stupid. The only way to not look stupid is to, well, risk looking stupid.
I just don’t think that when God is giving out rewards in heaven that anyone is going to get any props for being the Most Normal, the Biggest Wallflower, the Least Likely to Embarrass Anybody.
Brad and I were watching a movie the other night, some action movie where the heroes had to just throw reason and caution to the wind. I looked at Brad with a smile and said, “See? It helps to be a little crazy.”
In fact, I’m starting to think it’s doesn’t just help, but it might just be absolutely necessary to do this life the right way. Not being crazy just for crazy’s sake. But not being afraid to break the rules of propriety when life calls for it. And it will.
God is playing your song. Right now. Inviting you into His plan, His story. You gonna stand back, cross your arms and judge the people throwing themselves into their role? Or are you gonna jump up and grab that microphone?
If you opt out, I promise I’ll be having more fun than you.
Listen very closely and you’ll hear God saying, Shut up and dance with Me.
