“Dancing in the Minefields”

Excellent or Praiseworthy is posted on Monday and Thursday nights.

. . . . and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth . . . may you ever be captivated by her love. — Proverbs 5:18b, 19b

Everybody loves a good story. And everybody loves a good song. Put the two together and you’ve got something that pulls at the heart-strings while encouraging the soul. An unbeatable combination—worth sharing as it is excellent and praiseworthy. And that brings us to today . . .

An Air Force pilot told me about “Dancing in the Minefields”—I hadn’t heard it yet. A new composition and performance by Andrew Peterson, this song tells of his marriage fifteen years ago and some of the beauty and struggles since then. As good as the lyrics and music are, you will particularly enjoy the video:

Did you catch that?

“And we’re dancing in the minefields
We’re sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for . . . .
‘Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear. . . .
‘Cause He promised not to leave us
And His promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, Baby,
I can dance with you.”

(And in the background vocal) “Don’t give up. . . .”

As engaging and truth-filled as this video is, I was encouraged by what Mr. Peterson had to say in his own words. Click on this next link to hear “the rest of the story” (as Paul Harvey would say). Go to the “play” button and click on it to hear his story of what inspired this new song. There is a memorable quote or two in this:

The idea (of the song) is that God gave us marriage . . . . it’s supposed to be hard, that’s the thing. Anything truly good in your life is gonna’ be difficult. And marriage is one of the ways that God has given us to learn something about His heart . . . . .But right now, what I see, is there is this kind of suffering that happens, this kind of daily lesson in losing yourself for another human being, and it’s not always fun. But Christ said, more than once, that the way to find your life is to lose your life . . . . and marriage is this really vivid picture of what that is . . . . So hold on.

Be encouraged this day! If you are truly looking at real minefields and battlefields, know that your Heavenly Father is right there with you. He loves you and your spouse and appreciates the struggles that you are facing this hour.

And savor the end of the video—the part where older couples are holding up their wedding pictures, smiling at each other, and still dancing—and remember that it’s tough for everybody. But it’s worth it—hold on.

Thank you, Andrew Peterson, for the reminder.

Questions to Share:

1. Name two qualities about your spouse which drew you to them in the beginning of your relationship. Tell or write them about those qualities you admire.

2. Name one older couple who has modeled for you what perseverance in marriage looks like. What do you admire about them?