Faith is a Dance

When we are on the mountain tops of life (because we have all been there at least once, right?), doesn't it feel so AMAZING? You feel unstoppable, confident, maybe even a little happy dance ensues?

Often when we are on top we feel so proud, so thankful, so grateful that we finally "made it". Several occasions like these come to my mind... getting an A on that school assignment after putting in all effort required, taking that first drive alone after getting your driver's license, or maybe even as a parent - successfully potty training your first born child. When we are on top- our faith in life, faith in ourselves, maybe even faith in God feels oh so strong.

But what about when we are not on top? (Whoa- this just got real). Are we just as proud of the road we are on? Oh so thankful for the amount of patience, perseverance, or humility we are expected to show? Are we grateful for the experience? Sometimes... but I think many of us can admit, often times not.

You see - faith is in some ways like a dance. It is raw, requires stretching, effort, endurance, training, determination, and a whole lot of practice. It requires trust knowing it will all pay off in the long run.

Sometimes you have a partner- and maybe even you're the lead! But what about my two left feet? Don't step on her toes and remember to catch her on that dip Romeo.

Other times faith can feel like a solo. Everyone is watching in anticipation of your next move. Will I remember to breathe? Will I be full of grace? Will the crowd stand in applause when I finish?

And other days it feels like a drill team- full of support, comradery, accountability, and inside jokes. Your teammates have "got your back Jack" and won't let you fail, no matter how many times you fall flat on your face.

I think as smart as we'd like to think we are, often times our human brains get into a performance mode with faith: the more I do well, the better I feel, so the stronger my faith must be getting. In other words; the more evidence, proof, or testimonies I have - the stronger my faith is.

But do we have our faith all mixed up? Should our faith change because of our circumstances?

Should the amount of faith we have be proportional to the amount of good we are doing or applause we are receiving? I hope by now you are sponging some of what I am spilling.

Oxford Languages Dictionary defines "Faith" as:

1. Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

2. A strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Perhaps faith has absolutely nothing to do with evidence or proof. Rather it has everything to do with our belief or confidence in our fearless leader (God) and team captain (Jesus). You see, faith can be developed over time as we get to know just who our God is, what he has already done, and what he is capable of doing in the future.

Complete trust or confidence is hard - it means letting go of your expectations, wishes, and dreams, and trusting 110% that God hears you, knows you (like REALLY knows you), and has your best interests at heart. It means that your plans for the future may very well look like an old blackboard that has been half-erased: messy, illegible, and the dust makes you want to sneeze.

I want to challenge us all to think about where our faith is twisted into some sort of mathematical equation (if I do just enough of "this" then surely God will do "that"). Instead let's dance.

For my non-dance friends out there, at the end of ballet class we do a final stretch and bow called "Reverence". This final bow by the ballet dancers is a non-verbal node to pay respect to and acknowledge their teacher and accompanist. Its a way we express our gratitude, our thankfulness, and respect via this bow.

In the same way, we can "Reverence" to God. We can show reverence by choosing to follow him no matter what the outcome. We can also show reverence by choosing to have joy on the path we are on (no matter how many times we fail, take a detour, a U-turn, or decide to become the backseat driver (yet again)).

Yes- life is a dance, and sometimes our faith can be too. But its a beautiful dance- one with so many beautiful characters, colors, movements, costume changes, lessons, grace, and love.

I pray you keep on dancing in your faith - and if you lose your step or count, find yourself someone to count you back in. And ahhhh...... 5-6-7-8 :)

(yeah, I really just ended this post that way)