February 10, 2006

My Journey to God

The Dance

We were in a dance class, my lead and I, and I fumbled a move—again.
The dance was spoiled—he wanted to dip, but I instead wanted to spin.

The instructor asked, “Did you open up and follow your lead’s subtle clues?
“Or did you ignore the signals he gave and just did what you wanted to do?”

I side-stepped his questions with one of my own: “Is it wrong that I like to spin?
“It’s a lovely move and I do it well. Why can’t my lead just give in?”
He said, “To dance well, you must surrender the moves that you have in mind.
“Trust in your lead—he’s the one with the plan. Feel for his signs and you’ll find
“That when you surrender and hold his hands tight, and heed each pressure and nudge,
“Then grace will be restored to your dance—and you’ll lose this unfounded grudge.”

These are the rules for dancing well, and so it is also for us.
God is the lead and we, the follows, should surrender, listen, hold tight and trust.

By Natalie DeHart

(Natalie DeHart is a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis. Her poem was inspired by a swing dance workshop she participated in last November. “I’ve heard our relationship with God compared to a dance before,” she said, “but based on what I learned that weekend, the appropriateness of that parallel truly struck home.”) †

 

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