The Woman in the Denim Dress

What if we stopped worrying so much about what other people thought of us? What if we weren't ashamed or afraid to be CRAZY for our Savior? What if we dropped everything...and followed him?
I went to a concert tonight. It was Brandon Heath, Leeland, and Francesca Battistelli. I went expecting, well, a concert. Nothing spectacular. Nothing out of the ordinary. But I was excited. I like these bands a lot. ...It turns out that God had a lot more in store for me tonight than just a concert.So I was getting ready today, getting pretty pumped up about my evening plans. I did my hair and listened to some of their songs to make sure I knew as many as possible so as to have the best chance of being able to sing along. I put on a bold printed pro-life shirt to make sure everyone knew what I stood for...and also to make sure I looked good. And then I slipped on my etnies and headed to a church in Peoria. A place that I soon found was FILLED with God.
So the place was really crowded and we ended up having to park a few blocks away. Which wouldn't have been to bad if it hadn't been pouring and freezing. By the time we got inside my hair was a mess, my makeup was running, and I was shivering. I was kind of upset because I had put so much effort into looking good that night, and it was all ruined by the rain. So I went and took my seat and tried to shake it off and enjoy the concert.Let me tell you something...these bands are really good. It took absolutely no effort to have a good time there.
But while I was enjoying myself...someone in the crowd caught my eye. The woman in the denim dress. Let me describe this woman to you. Her seat was just one row in front of us, which happened to be the front row. She was a middle-aged black woman. Her hair was all braided up and she wore a red long-sleeved shirt and a floor-length denim dress. It probably buttoned down in the front. From what I could tell...she hadn't spent hours getting ready for this concert. But I looked at her...and I knew she was beautiful. Inside and out. But it wasn't what this lady was wearing or what she looked like that caught my eye. It was what she was doing. She was worshipping. Now when you normally think of worship, what do you picture? A congregation in a church singing hymns? Love songs to Jesus, right? This lady, the one in the denim dress...she really made me stop and think about worship. That woman was not there to be a fan. Yes, she raised her hands and she shouted. But she wasn't shouting for Brandon Heath. She was shouting for GOD! As she stood in the front row...I could tell it was as if she and God were the only ones in that room. She was singing for him. Dancing for him. Shouting for him. As I watched her for a while, I noticed that she wasn't even watching the bands. A lot of the time she wasn't even facing them. She was completely wrapped up into her time with God. Nothing else mattered. She was there for one purpose and one purpose alone. She was passionate about her savior. I could tell she was sold out to Christ. One glance at her...and I could tell. She LOVES him. She has put everything else behind her, and her gaze is fixed on him. I couldn't help but smiling when I watched her jump up and down and wave her arms around and make up motions to songs I doubt she even knew. She sang along wether she knew the words or not. When we were praying, she would break the silence with an 'Amen' or a 'Yes Jesus!'.
..I know what you're thinking. You've seen people like this before. Those crazy God freaks. The ones you wonder about. Why do they do that? Why are they making a fool of themselves? Why are they dancing in a such a silly way? Why are they shouting out things when there are so many people listening?I wish I could be more like the woman in the denim dress. I took a look at myself...having tried so hard to look good. Yet it was washed away by a little rain. And this woman...this woman was happy. She didn't care what she looked like. She didn't care who was watching her. I'm sure there were lots of people watching that lady tonight. Rolling their eyes or whispering about her. I bet she didn't care at all. Why do we think people who do that are fools? Why do we call them strange or weird or freaks? Yes, they are different than most of us. But you know what I think? I think we all could stand to be a little bit more like the lady in the denim dress. How often do you stand in church or at a worship concert and wonder...should I lift my hands up? Should I move around a bit? Is anybody else doing it? Is anyone watching me? Why are we so afraid to stand out? Why are we so afraid to look like a fool in the eyes of the world? Why are we so afraid to go ALL OUT for the one who gave his life for us?
The woman I saw tonight...maybe she was a fool in your eyes. Maybe she was weird. But if that's true....then I hope someday I am a fool, too. I hope I'm the weirdest person you know. Because I could tell two things for sure tonight. One: The woman in the denim dress was sold out to God. And two: She was full of joy.
"I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." 2 Samuel 6:22