When The World Tries To Dim Your Dancing

D E V O T I O N A L

She was on stage, but the world was not her audience. Her soul was.

I was sitting in the bleachers at my daughter's school choir event, watching hundreds of kids stand in perfect rows, singing in tandem. Then I saw her. This one young lady who, completely unaware, stole the entire show.

She let the music move her. Arms swaying. Head tilting. A smile that could not be contained. She was not performing. She was simply free. Spreading joy without even trying.

I remember laughing that night. Not at her, but because of her. She reminded me of something I had almost forgotten.

What it looks like to be fully alive without worrying what anyone thinks.

That was several years ago. But recently, I found myself in a conversation about those choir nights, and the memory of her came flooding back. My face lit up again just thinking about it.

And then, a thought landed heavy in my chest: I wonder if the world got to her.

Did she stop dancing? Did she learn to shrink herself? Did someone tell her to calm down, to blend in, to be less?

And then I had to ask myself the harder question: Did it get to me too?

You know what I mean. The way the world tries to dim your dancing. Subtly. Slowly. Until you forget you ever danced at all.

How you were before the world tried to quiet the song. Before you started performing for the audience in the bleachers instead of the One who actually matters.

I find myself wondering: how much freer would I be if I stopped worrying about what people think? How much more joy would overflow if I lived for an audience of One?

Today, I want to be that kid again.

The one who did not perform for those sitting on the sidelines. The one who danced like no one was watching because, honestly, it did not matter if they were. The one before the world shaped me into being less than what God set me out to be.

I want to let the Holy Spirit lead from this day forward. To spread the joy of Him. To dance in this world like only God is watching.

Because He is. And His applause is the only one that echoes into eternity.

Much Love & Blessings,

Ramzi

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Family Corner

Stop performing "the perfect family" for everyone watching. Let your home be a place where laughter is loud, mistakes are forgiven, and joy is not controlled. Dance in the kitchen. Sing off-key. Let your family see you fully alive, not perfectly polished.

Relationship Insight

Ask yourself: who do I shrink myself around? Who makes me feel like I need to perform instead of just be? Maybe it is time to be honest about that. Or maybe it is time to find people who celebrate your freedom instead of demanding your conformity.

Mental Health Minute

When you catch yourself editing who you are to fit someone else's expectations, pause. Ask: Am I living for the sidelines or for God? Write down one way you have dimmed your own light lately. Then ask God to help you turn it back on.

Financial Wisdom

Sometimes we make money decisions based on what will look good to others instead of what God is calling us to steward. Stop spending to impress. Stop saving out of fear of judgment. Let God direct your generosity, your spending, your saving. His approval is enough.

Physical Health

Maybe you have stopped moving your body because you are worried about how you look doing it. Dance anyway. Walk anyway. Stretch anyway. Your body was made to move and to praise. Do not let self-consciousness steal that from you.

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"The world will always try to dim what God designed to shine. Don't let it."

P.S. If you have been living small because you are afraid of what people will think, this is your permission slip. Be free. Be full. Be unapologetically joyful. God did not create you to blend into the background. He created you to reflect His light.

Lord,

I want to be that kid again. The one who danced without self-consciousness. The one whose joy was not dependent on approval from the sidelines. Forgive me for dimming what You created to shine. For shrinking what You designed to be free. Help me live for Your applause alone. Let the Holy Spirit lead my steps, my words, my life. Teach me to spread Your joy without apology.

Amen.

The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it. That’s what The Marketing Millennials delivers: real insights, fresh takes, and no fluff. Written by Daniel Murray, a marketer who knows what works, this newsletter cuts through the noise so you can stop guessing and start winning. Subscribe and level up your marketing game.

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