How you can integrate your faith into your ballet dreams, and why your dreams matter to God.
Hello Swans! Its been a couple of weeks since I posted my very first post! As you can see my hope for posting once a week isn't going all that well so far. Alas, I'm a a mum of many and so many things happen throughout my days. Its actually a very high paced job, ya know? I do hope to improve my posting frequency though. I pray that you all enjoyed World Ballet Day and your Thanksgiving holiday if you celebrate. God has been so incredibly good to my family....we had and have so much to be thankful for. I just love this season of thankfulness and joy, and the Nutcracker and counting down to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ! It's all ramping up, isn't it...
Well, you all are still trying to get to know me and get a feel for this blog. Many of you may be wondering why I even created this space. What does God have to do with ballet?
God is an artist. God is a creator.
God is an artist , my friends. He is a creator. He created this amazingly wonderful world just filled with beauty. He created you...and me. Have you ever marveled at the diversity of man?Every single one of us is utterly unique. And He made us creators as well. The entire first chapter of Genesis in the Bible speaks to how frightfully creative God is. The Arts.....all things bright and beautiful are very special gifts from God, and we have all been called to utilize these gifts to glorify Him.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
~ James 1:17
So what does that mean for you...an individual who just wants to dance? That means that a desire has been placed in your dear heart for a very specific reason. 1 Peter 4:10 says that we have each been given a special gift from God that should be used to serve others. Now, that doesn't mean that we will all be principal ballerinas or even great dancers, per se. But it does mean that you have an opportunity to act on that desire, and think of ways to inspire or encourage others through your love of dance. You may volunteer at an inner-city dance center, you may put on shows for the elderly in your area, you may offer dance classes for children in your church, etc. These are just a few examples....but you never know how God will use you to further the Kingdom! You never know how or when an opportunity may arise for you to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in your life. Your love of ballet can be a ministry!
What about your dreams though? Are they trivial? No. Are they selfish? Maybe a little. We all have these grandiose dreams of doing this or that... or of hitting a certain level of success in our endeavors. That's totally normal for our flesh to want all of these things. But I think that when we take a closer look at what's happening within our hearts, there is something bigger at work here. When I was younger, I read a book by Holley Gerth called "You're Made For a God-Sized Dream". It's a great read, I highly recommend it (I've always wanted to say that). Ms. Holley states that, "A God-sized dream is a desire in your heart for more of what God has for you".
I believe that.
Your dreams matter. They were placed in your heart by God, and they can be used by and for Him to do wonderful things. Let us not forget that our biggest dream should be to draw nearer to God, to be in closer relationship with him. But consider this quote below:
“God’s will for us is generally for us to pursue that which gives us life and to turn away from things that drain life from us and leave us debilitated.” – Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
I don't know about you but....I find ballet to be quite life-giving. Ballet keeps my body nimble and my mind sharp and focused. Ballet also teaches me discipline...something I need more of in all aspects of my life. I think that if you sit still and ponder over your ballet dreams, you will see that the benefits may run deeper than you can imagine.
"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
~Philippians 1:6
Don't doubt for a minute that your dreams were placed in your heart for a reason, and that God won't do something amazing with them.
Until next time, peace be with you.