May I Have This Dance?
by Nancy Jo Sullivan
I ordered a bag of popcorn /at the snack bar /while my girls scurried /through the department store /searching for Christmas gifts. I yawned /as the clerk handed me my snack. I could barely keep my eyes open.
We had just moved /into a new home. In between unpacking boxes, I had baked cookies, wrapped presents, and written cards of greeting. So far the holidays had left me feeling depleted of energy. I wanted to feel close to God, especially in this season, but I hadn’t had time /for prayer and quiet reflection.
준동사구 어법관찰
1.분사구와 부정사구의 어감차이; 분사는 실제로 진행되는 상황인데 부정사는 아직 하지않은 잠재동작
2. 준동사의 동사적인 성격; 불자성격이라 보어/형용사로 depleted/close 를 가지고
형용사 수식어로 전치사구를 가짐
the holidays had left me feeling depleted /of energy.
I wanted to feel close /to God,
As I settled /into a booth, I noticed an old man /standing near the store entryway. Though his face was wrinkled, his eyes twinkled /with the energy of youth. He was ringing a Salvation Army bell.
3. 형역 과분사와 일반동사 역할차이
* his face was wrinkled, 형역
his eyes twinkled /with the energy of youth. 일반동사
I watched as he danced /around his red coin kettle, bobbing and turning /to the rhythm of his own footsteps.
Ringing his bell in carefully timed beats, he waved and smiled /to those //who passed him by.
4. 본동사와 동시동작 상태인 분사의 동작
* (he was) Ringing his bell in carefully timed beats, he waved and smiled
* he danced /around his red coin kettle, (he was) bobbing and turning /to the rhythm of his own footsteps.
“Joy to the world… mmm… the Lord is come.”
Soon a woman made her way /past the singing man. She was wearing a Christmas‐tree sweater, her brow was furrowed, and she carried several shopping bags.
5. 능동상태 현분사와 수동상태 과분사
the singing man.
her brow was furrowed,
6. 진행형 동사와 능동상태 설명 현분사
an old man /standing near the store entryway.
She was wearing a Christmas‐tree sweater,
“No joy for the Lord?” the old man called out to her. The woman sighed and rolled her eyes. She hurried to her car. I watched as people hustled /past the man. Most of them ignored him. Everyone seemed preoccupied /with balancing their bags and boxes of presents.
A businessman with a cell phone walked /past the dancing bell ringer.
“Let every heart… mmm… Prepare him room…” the old man sang.
[The sound of his bell and the beeping noise /from the cash registers] forced the businessman [to shout into the phone].
He reminded me /of how all my seasonal obligations made me feel. I was trying [to find a way] /to converse with God, but so far I hadn’t gotten a good connection.
As busy shoppers made a wide perimeter /around the bell ringer, an old woman, her back /hunched and her gait slow, approached him. She smiled /as she clicked open a tattered purse and dropped four quarters /into the slotted red pail.
The man took off his ear‐muffed hat and bowed /to her. “May I have this dance?” he asked. The woman blushed and began to giggle. As she drew herself up, her wrinkles seemed to fade. The two of them began to shuffle /around the store entry, the old man gently /guiding the frail woman /in graceful glides and turns.
“Joy to the world… the Savior reigns…” their voices rang out in happy unison.
As I watched, I found myself [wanting to join their department store waltz]. Theirs was a dance of joy, unencumbered by stress or preoccupation—a dance of praise //that proclaimed /anew [the tender message of old]:
* anew; 부사 in a new or different, typically more positive, way.
“Joy to the world… the Lord is come!”
Later that night, as my family slept upstairs, I curled up /on the couch /in our family room. After turning on my favorite holiday CD, I drank a cup of tea /in front of our brightly lit tree. Soon the notes of “Joy to the World” filled the room.
I could almost hear the Lord say, “May I have this dance?”
LOOKING AHEAD …
Like the woman in the Christmas‐tree sweater and the businessman with the cell phone, so few people seem to experience joy. No matter what time of year it is, they are preoccupied /with the stress of the season and have either rejected or forgotten the joy that Jesus offers.
Yet none of us needs [to live this way], for believers in the Lord know an eternal joy //that ultimately transcends any hardship /experienced in this world. Even in the midst of trials, He stands ready /to lead us out of our suffering /into His wonderful presence.
This next week we’ll talk about how to choose joy in our marriages and in our lives.
We can learn [to rejoice and praise Him every day]. The Lord has come!
- James C Dobson