Symbol

I was thinking in church today about dancing again and connections to faith and our walk with God. This is more specific to the waltz and the basic ballroom etiquette.

The Invitation -

This is often done without words. The man places his hand out for the woman to either accept or reject. In this simple gesture, the man is asking, "Will you trust me?" and "Will you allow me to take you on this journey?". In the acceptance, the woman is putting her trust and whole self in the care and protection of the man. She is acknowledging that he is in charge and she will follow him wherever he goes.

The Beginning -

In the Waltz, once the woman is led out to the dance floor. Her hand is dropped and the man assumes dance position. This position entails the man once again holding his left hand out to the woman and holding his right arm open waiting to take her into his arms. His weight is on his left foot with his right foot pointed off to the side. The woman moves toward him and takes his left hand with her right. She rests her left arm on his right shoulder as he wraps his right arm around her. At just the right time during the introduction, the couple shifts their weight. The man to his right leg, the woman to her left. The woman's gaze shifts to look over the man's right shoulder. In this moment, both parties have completed the final agreement to take this journey together. The two have now become one and are ready to begin.

The Dance -

The dance begins slowly. The man is completely in charge and is responsible for making his and her movement fit the music. The man is simply the worker. He understands that all of the beauty and purpose of this dance, rests in the woman he holds in his arms. The music fades in and out, reaches a fevered pitch and calms again. Throughout this time, the woman follows the man's desires for her, trusting him to make her look as beautiful and perform the very best she possibly can.

The Ending -

The dance ends with a turn for the woman in which the partners separate to form a parallel line with the observers. The couple then turns toward each other and a mutual, "Thank You" is expressed. The man is thankful for being trusted and allowed the privilege of taking the woman on this journey. The woman is delighted to have been personally chosen and carried away. The dancers walk off of the floor and wait to meet again for yet another wonderful occasion.

The Connection -

The invitation for our relationship with Christ is a standing invitation, which we must either accept or reject. In the time of the invitation, Christ is asking us to trust him to allow Him to take us on a journey to bring us on towards completion. In our acceptance of Christ, we are promising to let him lead our lives and follow him wherever He takes us.

At the beginning of our walk, we acknowledge that we no longer exist. We die to ourselves and Christ lives in us. Two have become one.

Throughout the dance or walk of faith, there may be moments of confusion. In which we are confused about the direction we are being led. We may take a few wrong steps, but because our lead is the ultimate leader, he guides us back to the right pattern and step and continues to lead us. He works to make us become the very best we can be. He works to prefect us and leads us to do everything He desires.

Although, there is never an end of our walk of faith, there are moments that exist in our lives when the follower looks to their partner, their leader, and is grateful. Grateful for being chosen to be saved from the certain effects of their sin. Grateful for the leader who never fails and is always steady, capable, compassionate, graceful, and helpful.