Life is a Dance
Patti Thor
Most of us who have a relationship with God think about walking through life with Him. When we walk with another person, we usually walk side by side and look in the same direction. A walk tends to be destination-oriented. Even a walk for leisure will end up back home. Further, there is a tendency to walk in a relatively straight line. A large circle to return home is not usually made up of movements like taking a sharp right for two feet then turning left for two feet then spinning around and walking backward.
We walk forward, looking at our future. The present is where our feet are. The past is behind us, where we no longer see it. That’s a Western mindset. The Ancient Greeks, however, had a different perspective. They backed into the future because no one can really see what’s coming. The present was what was coming into their peripheral vision. The past was in front of them because the past can be seen and studied.
I’ve heard that the word “guidance” stands for God, You and I Dance (G.U.I.Dance). The Grecian mindset, coupled with the idea of dancing through life with God, paints a beautiful picture of dependence, romance and relationship. God wants to dance with us. A waltz is face-to-face, heart-to-heart. It is about relationship not destination.
Sometimes we swing way out and are twirled about. We travel from the left to the right and back again. This makes no sense as a walk, but it is appealing as a dance.
We travel backward in the dance, gazing into God’s eyes as He leads. He sees where we are going and directs our steps – a nudge here, a tug there. His strong arms around us make a firm frame so that when He spins us or dips us, we keep our balance.
The dance has patterns and repetition of movements. Though it may seem that we repeat lessons in life, it is part of the choreography and God is a great Choreographer.
There is no end. No destination. No arrival. Only a love relationship that grows deeper with each movement and continues eternally.
We walk forward, looking at our future. The present is where our feet are. The past is behind us, where we no longer see it. That’s a Western mindset. The Ancient Greeks, however, had a different perspective. They backed into the future because no one can really see what’s coming. The present was what was coming into their peripheral vision. The past was in front of them because the past can be seen and studied.
I’ve heard that the word “guidance” stands for God, You and I Dance (G.U.I.Dance). The Grecian mindset, coupled with the idea of dancing through life with God, paints a beautiful picture of dependence, romance and relationship. God wants to dance with us. A waltz is face-to-face, heart-to-heart. It is about relationship not destination.
Sometimes we swing way out and are twirled about. We travel from the left to the right and back again. This makes no sense as a walk, but it is appealing as a dance.
We travel backward in the dance, gazing into God’s eyes as He leads. He sees where we are going and directs our steps – a nudge here, a tug there. His strong arms around us make a firm frame so that when He spins us or dips us, we keep our balance.
The dance has patterns and repetition of movements. Though it may seem that we repeat lessons in life, it is part of the choreography and God is a great Choreographer.
There is no end. No destination. No arrival. Only a love relationship that grows deeper with each movement and continues eternally.