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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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Dancing On the Stage of Life
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Eager to worship on the Sunday morning of our camping trip, a friend and I sought out a church that presented some public indication that our worship would be Christ-centered. Warm hugs greeted us as we were ushered to our seats. It was then that my eye caught the swirling skirts of the liturgical dancers. Turning, I sensed the spirit of worship with which they danced. Their every movement and radiant facial expressions conveyed their praise to God while the pulsating energy contagiously evoked the praise of others. My thoughts have frequently allowed me to revisit that service, and I have contemplated again the freedom that is communicated through dance. Whether liturgically dancing or dancing on a far different stage, there is a freedom expressed that fascinates me. The freedom that God gives, parallels the dancer whose spirit and body are fully engaged and vibrantly communicating.
The freedom of the dancer is felt and seen in the movements that interpret the musical background. Largeness, definitiveness, precision, and rhythmic accuracy flow from a focus of body, mind, and spirit. Focus energizes, propels, lifts, and shapes movement to captivate an audience, drawing the onlooker into its fervent intensity. Focus gives 100% – totally intent on the task at hand. Neither freedom nor focus comes without cost. Unseen hours, days, and even years, bring a dancer to performance. Mundane and tiring stretches, sit-ups, and conditioning, and endless practices enable limbs and muscles to respond with beauty and excellence. Innate ability is integrated with training that expands creativity, aesthetic awareness, and an understanding of the principles of movement.
There is a cost for the believer as well. Salvation – that rebirth that gives us the privilege of divine relationship – the sacrifice that cost the Father the isolation, scourging, and death cry of His only Child – ushers into our lives that which should dominate our thoughts, our desires, our behaviors and relationships – our very lives. That domination – that focus that should energize, propel, lift, and shape our lives – is Jesus. The freedom that God offers allows me to stretch to the fullest of my potential. My potential focuses on Jesus, learns from Him, draws from Him, and is energized by Him. Although the music sets the pace and the rhythm for the dancer, enhancing and creating desire for movement, the dancer’s expression is uniquely her own. The stage is her world. The music gives life, but it calls forth from the dancer a response fashioned by training, perseverance, devotion, and life itself. That’s the beauty of freedom. It is a freedom focused on Jesus, but I become more than I could ever ask or think.
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— Bev |
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