Learning a new dance ... with what feels like two left feet.

Started writing this post at 7/23/08 @ 6:00 AM

Learning a new dance...with what feels like two left feet.

Sometimes, God moves us in a new direction, and even though our hearts are more in tune with His leadings than they used to be, there is still the awkward struggle.

I liked the old dance. But it is time to learn a new one and I need to change the steps.
My feet keep going to the old dance, when I should be following Gods lead. This slows me down and trips me up and the more I slip the more I struggle and think, and that slows down my ability to learn the new dance. God is asking me to follow His lead, to trust Him as we go about life in a different way.

What I find amazing is that with all my left feet and struggles, God's faithfulness, God's sweetness and Grace continues to be revealed to me and through me. Even when I have two left feet and stumble and struggle and step all over His feet, He loves me even still and shows this Love in numerous "little" and big ways. He continues to reveal Himself; His Faithfulness and Goodness and Sureness to others through me - in the midst of this awkward - stumbling learning a new dance season. AMAZING! God is so Big. He can not be limited by my struggles and chooses (from the beginning of time on earth) to use stumbling struggling human beings who seek after Him (humans that He created in His own image to be His children) to show THROUGH them/us this Biggness of God.

To continue my dance analogy, even though I stumble and struggle, and in and through all God's correction and my frustration with myself as I struggle to make the necessary changes so that I can dance this new dance encumbered by old ways, God is seen as the Master of the Dance: the Great Choreographer.


To add to my revelation the revelation of someone else..."The river is moving and we have to lay some things down and leave them on the river bank if we’re going to be able to get into the boat and not be weighed down."
In my allegorical revelation... this means...

There was sin that was covered by the Graceful garment of the last dance that must now be removed, and a new garment of Grace, Mercy, Love, and Steadfastness must be put on. This garment is more "revealing" it shows that it is now time to repent from sinful habits that are the seeds of bigger sins (seeds of deeper levels of destructive sins to be removed now before they grow).

It is hard to leave the old things behind for new things (even desired new things - new dances - new directions in this life journey). Some of the things we must let go of and leave behind are the sins, and seeds of destructive behaviors now Gracefully and Compassionately revealed by God. I agree these must go, though I need God to go deep and remove the root. I must cooperate with that work. I want those things be removed completely and to not have the root of it trip me up later.

What is even harder for me is letting go of the beautiful cherished things: the previous methods, and thought processes. I must learn a new way of discerning the moment. It is hard right now to do so, because I am encumbered by all the wonderful ways of the past. These are the ways God taught me to walk in (the old dance steps so to speak), they were in alignment with His Will and His Ways in the place and season He is now leading me out of. These old dance steps, these ways of doing things, are good ways but they are slowing me down. I am NOT being asked to unlearn them. I am being asked to leave them. They are part of my history, part of the story of Sam's little life (her silly little song and dance) with a very big Loving God. But I have to stop dancing the old dance if I am going to learn the new one. (Like a ballet, life is a series of dances. Each moment/act is valuable and good and has it's place, but set changes, costume changes, music changes, and the steps and movement change from act to act from movement to movement throughout the entire ballet. The dancers still dance and the story the Choreographer tells is told. It is time for the next movement/act. It is time to make the changes so that I can participate in the next dance, the next movement.

God very well may allow me to keep dancing the old dance, but if I insist on this I will miss out on the new.

I will continue to look to My God, the Master of the Dance and follow and learn. I want to be apart of this "new dance movement".