The Hokey Cokey

…In, out, in, out,
You shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That’s what it’s all about…

If the Hokey Cokey is what it’s all about…. What is it all about?

…In, out, shaking and turning. Life’s varied – in and out, up and down, close and distant; shaking things about – intentions, plans, activities – rearranging, spring-cleaning our lives; turning around – making wholesale changes, going in a completely different direction

…Patterns and consistency. Children doing the Hokey Cokey for the first time like the predictability. They may not know whether it will be the right leg or the left arm that comes next but there’s a pattern… As another song says ‘the rhythm of life is a powerful beat’… nature’s seasons, predictable and consistent friends and family.

…Together. You can’t do the Hokey Cokey on your own! You do it with others – the more the merrier! Hokey Cokeying with other people brings unity in the togetherness – the joy of common purpose and experience.

…Engagement and involvement. The Hokey Cokey isn’t a spectator sport. You have to engage with your voice, your actions, your emotions,…You can watch – but then you’re not ‘doing’ the Hokey Cokey. You can’t be a passive observer; if life passes by and you don’t do the Hokey Cokey you’ve missed out on what it’s all about.

…Experimentation and commitment. You start by putting just one part of your in, then another anatomical part, then another… The climax and conclusion is where you put your whole self in.

We approach different aspects of life with different levels of commitment – work, hobbies, friends, our football team, family, faith… Some try to balance these; others discover one thing and put their whole selves in.

Musing on Jesus’ words: ’What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul?’ Is that Jesus’ Hokey Cokey… what it’s all about?