She stood by her seat watching Allana lead the children in dancing to the praises of our savior. Just her toes wriggled to the music. She had already been asked several times if she would like to join the children up front and dance but had said,” N0.” Still she stood there staring and wriggling. I walked over and asked her again, “Would you like to go up and dance with the other kids?” She shook her head no but kept staring and wriggling. “You don’t have to belong or have to know the songs you can watch Miss Allana”, I tried. Still no, but then I could see her gather her will together and she looked straight at me and said, “I’m afraid.” Her face turned red with this moment of pure honesty. “Tell you what, why don’t I walk up there with you and put you right between Miss Allana and Sami so you can follow right along with them.” Her eyes got big and she slowly shook her head yes and whispered, “OK”. I walked her up, placed her between Sami and Allana and then watched her blossom to life dancing with all her heart for the next 30 minutes.
Sometimes people will respond to tracts, tv shows, invitations to church services, revivals or even altar calls. But sometimes they are waiting for someone to take that long walk to our Savior with them. It seems like just a short and easy stroll to us but they are afraid. They can see the joy, the fun but for whatever reason that walk is terrifying. They are waiting for someone to walk with them, hand in hand; to introduce them personally to Jesus and then to tuck them in right between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Maybe they should grow up and get over it. Maybe they should not be so stubborn and afraid. Or just maybe we just need to be ready to walk that walk with them.
There was a man who lived in Jericho, a wealthy and powerful man. He could have easily summoned Jesus to him or approached Jesus through the crowd using his many servants to clear the way. But he didn’t. He ran ahead and climbed a tree. I think that perhaps he had listened to the greatest lie that Satan ever came up with, “You are not the sort of person that Jesus could love.” Still he wanted to see Jesus. How surprised he must have been when Jesus stopped at that tree and said, ” ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he hurried and came down and received him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:5b-10)
“Zaccheus stopped…” After the invitation there was the long walk back to Zaccheus’ house. For Zaccheus it was a walk of shame, a walk that reinforced the lie of Satan. It is a walk that so many are unable to take alone. Jesus took that walk with Zaccheus. It was not in the safety of his home that Zaccheus found salvation. It was not kneeling at the altar or standing in the revival. It was walking with Jesus. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2: bold lettering is mine)
Maybe it is time for all of us to take a little walk, to pray that the Holy Spirit will point out those Zaccheuses waiting up in a tree to walk with us; those little girls wriggling their toes waiting by their chairs to dance, giving us the opportunity to be imitators of God Himself and walk in love.
Fan Into Flame Ministries 
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