To Follow Actively

We're called to be active in faith. This has come from many mouths of many friends, pastors, book characters, and dancers in my life in the past several weeks, which usually means God's trying to show me a new dynamic in my walk with Him.

Really. Dancers?

:) Yup. I love that God uses so many things to teach us about Himself and draw us into Who He Is and how we're designed to relate to Him.

Last month I was part of a group that got dressed up in 1940s-era clothing and went to a MASSIVE swing dance in South St. Paul that was being held in an airplane hangar.

Yes, it was just as fun as it sounds.

I'm not a frequent swing-dancer by any means... but I do fall into the category of women who have that long-held fantasy of being whirled around the dance floor by a strong dance partner, high heels clicking and long flowing dress twirling. The night didn't disappoint. Every woman in our group was approached by several different men. (Thumbs up, assertive guys!!) I didn't know what I was doing half the time, but I learned eventually to follow where my partner was leading and trust him to catch me in a dip. The night ended on a high note, despite the rain and the hangar losing power for a bit.

My good friend (and great dancer, let's be honest) Jenna was at the dance, and the next night she decided to show us new steps. She took each girl in turn and demonstrated how to follow actively.

Wait a sec. Doesn't following mean that you go where he leads? Period, that's it? That's how I learned submission, anyway... Keep your head down, your mouth shut, and have no independent thoughts.

Not quite. We play a vital role! At times the woman needs to put her weight on the man in a certain way in order to make the spins tighter and the steps faster. If the man starts to spin the woman out, and she misses a signal and goes flying off into the crowd, it doesn't look pretty. I speak from experience :) Over the course of our impromptu dance lesson my perspective completely changed. Ladies, we're not called into marriage to be shrinking violets or limp partners. We have God-given strength as women, and we're called to be engaged with our faith walks, our ministries - or husbands. What does it mean to follow actively - it means being awake, in the moment, using our spiritual weight to offset and support our husbands! When two are moving in sync, with give and take and a sense of direction, that's the divine dance. And in fact, that's how we trust God as well. We lean on Him, trusting His direction and leading, and when He spins us out we can trust that He'll bring us back in. I like knowing that I fumble, drop things, trip over nothing at times, and He still takes my hand and brings me in for another spin. There's nothing I can do that will make God want to switch partners.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3)

Lean on HIS understanding. Not yours. Not mine. Lean on the love of a Father who saves us and then calls us to get involved!! There's nothing you can do that cause God to give up on you. If He's set His love on you, it's on you to stay. Wow. What a joy. What a powerful active God we have the privilege to follow! *Rock-step.*  Amen.