Life is a Dance

I have been wanting to start a blog of my own for quite sometime now, more as an outlet than anything else. I wanted a place where I could "think out loud," but also share what I've learned in the hopes that it might be of help to someone else. There are so many things that I am passionate about and want to explore through my blog: discipleship, marriage, parenting, homeschooling, working from home, justice issues, missions, how to make a difference in the world from my own small corner, healthy living. As I reflected on all these topics and struggled to come up with a name and a theme for my blog, I kept thinking about all the roles I juggle to play: wife, mommy, small-group leader, piano teacher, Classical Conversations Community Group tutor, teacher to my children (academically and spiritually), Jamberry Nails consultant, cook, nurse, the list goes on....................I feel overwhelmed more often than not. I have to admit that one of my biggest struggles in life, especially since becoming a mom is figuring out how to "do it all" and actually, maybe hopefully, doing all (ok, let's just be honest - SOME) of those things well. People talk about finding a balance in life. We often hear them say,  "I need to figure out how to balance it all." But, someone once explained to me that the problem with "balance" is that you're putting one thing in your life in direct opposition or competition with something else in your life. Think of the Lady Justice imagery here, where you have two sides trying to balance each other out. So then it was so beautifully explained to me that life is more like a dance. We step into one thing and then step out and into the next. I am NOT a dancer by any stretch of the imagination. Although sometimes I do have little fantasies of one day learning to be a proficient ballroom dancer. I have taken a few dance lessons, and I learned that there are basic parts to a dance, and when they are all put together by someone who actually knows what they're doing, it actually looks effortless and seamless. I really love and can relate to this imagery because there are many, many different segments to my life. If I try to do them all at once, it usually ends up in a mess, but if I learn how to be fully present with what I am doing in that moment, then I can move on to the next thing and be fully present with that thing. As a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I see Him as my dance partner, the leader. He is the one who leads and I follow. Just as the woman dancer must know and be sensitive to the signals her dance partner gives her to know which moves to make and which direction to go, so I must recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit in my life to follow Him at every turn. Life is a dance that I'm learning as I go. I want to share that journey with you here through my blog and pray it can be a blessing to you somehow.