Dance with Faith

I was reading a friend's blog recently and she was writing about her unique experience of faith and how it may dance with other expressions of faith ~ the words 'dance' and 'faith' began to spin around in my head and heart and I was reminded how much I love to dance with my husband; how much I love to dance with my children (when they let me); and how much I love to crank the tunes and move with abandon around my living room. As much as I love the dancing, it is not always graceful or pain-free ~ sometimes the timing is off; sometimes feet get stepped on; sometimes the turns are too vigorous and there might be a fall, or at a minimum, some imbalance ~ it can be downright awkward and embarrassing. Such is my dance with Faith as well.

Faith is my, always patient and willing, but somewhat shy, dance partner. I'm sure Faith finds me incredibly frustrating ~ Faith waits for me to ask, but sometimes I just don't want to dance and then when I do, I tend to want to lead ~ Faith goes along with my way of dancing for awhile, but it is definitely awkward. (Think scenes from Seinfeld of Elaine dancing.)

It is always a blessing and the dance is transforming when I allow myself to feel the strength of  my Faith and follow when I hear the whisper, "loosen up ~ breathe ~ I've got you ~ let me lead."

Hot and Sticky

We have a no-shoe policy in our house and still it is amazing how much dust, crumbs, and detritus shows up on the hardwood floors everyday. It is summer ~ I walk around the house barefoot ~ as a result, I feel everything on the floor and it makes me crazy. I'm constantly lifting my feet up and brushing off the bottoms and then grabbing a broom to sweep up and throw away all that has irritated me in that area.  It has been hot and humid for the last week or two ~ I don't mind the heat as I am often cold and most of the time I can tolerate the humidity pretty well too, BUT... I've noticed that my wrist and arms stick to the desk when I type, and my hands and fingers stick to the granite when I lay them on the counter, and my feet... my feet not only pick up everything on the floor, but are actually sticking to the floor, creating a very unpleasant sensation as I walk from room to room. I can't shake the 'stickiness' or its' irritating quality ~ occasionally, a cool breeze will blow through the house and for a few moments the stickiness seems to dissipate, but it is only an illusion as the humidity is still very much present.

I find this is true for certain thoughts and feelings as well. I go about my business and a thought or feeling will suddenly take hold, create pressure on my heart and become hot behind my eyes. As much as I try to sweep away my discomfort and move onto happier, more positive thoughts, this discomfort seems to have a 'sticky' quality. However, just as I am trying to be patient and wait for a big shift in the weather to blow away the humidity, I'm trying desperately to believe and have faith that at some point I will notice that something big has shifted within me as well ~ and maybe, if I'm lucky, those thoughts and feelings will have lost their 'stickiness'.

Stewardship

It was just starting to feel a little strange ~ the idea of having no regular church meeting to attend.

I've been participating on my church's boards, teams, and committees for more years than I can quickly remember ~ I have rolled off of one commitment and moved into another rather seamlessly over the years. This past year was difficult though ~ my various commitments over stretched my tolerance and abilities to manage the busyness of my life. Needless to say, I began to look forward to rolling off the Spiritual Life & Worship Team (a team and tenure I have enjoyed immensely) and taking a year off of major church commitments.

There was a message on my answering machine ~ would I be interested in joining the Stewardship committee?

Really? I thought I had been moving under the radar of availability. It should have been easy to say, "No, I'm sorry. I need to take a year off." But, it wasn't easy and truth told, deep down, I didn't really want to say "no" and so, I didn't. Stewardship isn't just about money and committee work isn't just about church work ~ sharing faith and developing relationships are always the most compelling reasons for me to say "yes".