“…my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NIV).

Throughout my time in our church, I have spent most of my service in children’s ministries. Cuddling the babies, singing to 3-year-olds and teaching bible lessons in Sunday School and Children’s Church, I pressed on. With fondness, I remember teaching the words and movements to “Deep and Wide” and “Zaccheus was a Wee Little Man” I can recall the stories I told to the kids using flannel boards with little flannel figures. The giggles that filled the room as I gave them treats still echo in my heart. And I can still see little heads bowed so sincerely as we prayed for sick grandmas, sore fingers or lost puppies. Everyone loved the grand stories of David and Goliath or Jonah and the Whale. The children I ministered to in those days are adults now and I don’t know what they took from my little Sunday School class. I call that time in my life, “dancing in the dark!” Imagine, yourself dancing, you twirl around, do the two-step and maybe throw in a little “soft shoe” but when you look out, you see no faces, only darkness. You might wonder if they are frowning or smiling, and with only the sounds of your own feet tapping on the floor, you can’t hear the applause or hear their approval, but still you dance. Sometimes you might be discouraged at the silence, but God assures you he still has a plan, so you keep dancing.

The children, at year’s end, went with my hopes and prayers as they left my class. As a new student entered my class for the first time, I began my dance again.

As I write, I still dance. I write devotions about my life and my Lord. When my words are put to print and sent out, I dance in the silent darkness, wondering if my writing is good enough, not knowing who God wants to hear the words I write. But he assures me he has someone in mind as he loves us. He died on a cross for all who would call on his name.

As I checked out Facebook one morning, I noticed I had a friendship request. Clicking, I found that a woman named Susan wanted to be my friend. I remembered her as a shy little girl from a great family in the church. She was very well behaved and much quieter than her fellow students. The next day, I was delighted to get the sweetest message from her. She caught me up on her parents and a bit of her own life, but she then told me something that blesses me even now as I write this. She said that she accepted the Lord as her Savior one Sunday morning in my Sunday School class, as I asked the children to bow their heads and pray. I wondered briefly if it was one of my organized days or one of my disheveled days. But right out of the darkness was the beautiful face of Susan. Out of the silence was the applause of angels, not for me but for this one who came to the Lord. On that morning, I knew that God’s words never come back without doing what they were sent to do. It was worth those harried days, those rowdy kids hiding under the table as I gave my lesson, and it was worth my “dancing in the dark”!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of serving and thank you Susan for sharing at just the time. My feet were getting tired!

Jeanie Nihiser