I taught Daniel how to do the Hokey Pokey this week and he is a huge fan. As usual, he has his own take on it. After we put our arms in, take them out, and shake them all about, he points his little, wiggly fingers straight up in the sky, turns himself around and yells, “HOLY POKEY!”

At first, we just laughed and kept putting different parts in and shaking them all about. Then as we were singing yesterday he yelled, “Whole self in, Mama!” I jumped up to play along, but immediately my mind switched gears: If I am REALLY going to play “Holy” Pokey then I actually need put my whole self in. None of this left arm here, or right foot there; it’s all or nothing.

It’s crazy how a simple game with a two year old can strike such a chord. Now, as I play the real-life version of “Holy” Pokey, I just need to remember to put my whole heart in, my whole mind in, all my emotions in, all my decisions in, all my actions in, all my motivations in, and ultimately my whole self in. I can’t keep putting it all in and taking it right back out. I’ve got to put it in, leave it in, and let Jesus start shaking it all about!

As we go about our day, let’s work on changing our tune just a little: “Put your whole self in, don’t take your whole self out, put your whole self in and let Jesus shake you all about. Let’s do the Holy Pokey, let Jesus turn your life around. He’s what it’s all about! HOLY POKEY!”