I love ballroom dancing! My favorite is the waltz. When we fly around the floor and work in tandem my spirit soars with liberated freedom. Freedom from the overload of work that tries regularly to creep up on me. Freedom to release inhibitions and let me be my best soul. Freedom to laugh, enjoy the ride of life and love of God.
Dancing with God is truly a great delight. That is when our spirit works in tandem with God as we release our need for control, inhibitions, and soar on the flight of Love. We are liberated from anxiety, dis-ease of body, mind, and spirit. I can think of no greater need as the pandemic continues through the long cold wintry days in the northern hemisphere than to dance with God.
The Scripture
Psalm 30 is one of my favorites. Particularly my heart is captured by the last two verses.
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(Psalm 30:11-12)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+30&version=NRSV
God can turn even our most grievous broken heart into dancing. Sometimes that is exceptionally hard to imagine. On occasion when we are in the throes of heartache, grief, and sorrow and we are not sure if we are truly strong or courageous enough to endure the suffering. And yet, God is able. God desires to breath life into our weary limbs and aching heart. God longs to love us into new dance steps as God leads us into new patterns for life.
Today’s Prayer Practice
Today I invite you to read a marvelous book from the works of the late priest Father Henri J. M. Nouwen. The book is entitled Turn My Mourning into Dancing: Finding Hope in Hard Times, compiled and edited by Timothy Jones. This book invites us into a process of being formed by God’s grace into new hope and love of self, God, and neighbor. The book may be obtained at all major Christian books stores and Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Turn-My-Mourning-into-Dancing/dp/0849945097/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1H5WKQ2F0FQR7&dchild=1&keywords=turn+my+mourning+into+dancing+henri+nouwen&qid=1613141574&sprefix=Turn+my%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1
Once you obtain the book, pray through the chapters by considering how each of these phases speaks into your life circumstance. Here is a outline of the chapter headings.
Five Moments through Hard Times
- From Our Little Selves to a Large World
- From Holding Tight to Letting Go
- From Fatalism to Hope
- From Manipulation to Love
- From a Fearful Death to a Joyous Life[1]
Enjoy the experience of praying with Divine presence and wisdom this week as you work in tandem with God and soar upon the flight of Love.
[1] Henri Nouwen, complied and edited by Timothy Jones. 2001. Turn My Mourning into Dancing: Finding Hope in Hard Times. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group. Pg. v. ISBN # 0-8499-1711-5.
