Praise His Name With Dancing

I danced in my eleventh Recital last Sunday.

Every year, Recital gets more exciting, challenging, and magical. Every year I learn new things and discover a little bit more how much I love ballet. I can't describe in words how it feels to perform or the faces of joy I see on my fellow dancer's faces. I can't depict fully the feelings of anticipation and adrenaline. But I will try. Because that's what I do, I try to use these wonderful words to describe something even more wonderful. Life.

Just close your eyes, and imagine that you are a dancer on the big day, the day that you've worked hard on for months. Let's start at the beginning.

I wake up in the morning knowing that today is the day. I start it off right by reading Psalm 149, asking God to help me praise His name with dancing. Then the getting ready begins. I scurry through the house, making sure that I have everything that I might possibly need (plus a few extra bobby pins). I warm up in the dressing room, using collected music on my phone. (Imagine David Crowder for plies and Taylor Swift for degages to get an idea.) After mopping up the stage, we jumped (quite literally) into rehearsals. Pilates, make up, rehearsals, sweat, more make up, and excited talking filled the rest of the afternoon. It was one of those days which pass by so quickly yet seem so long.

Then it was time. We walk onto the stage, with the curtain closed, waiting for our music. The national anthem plays and I take deep breaths, fanning myself with my flower prop. I pray, asking God to help me to dance my best and give Him the glory.

The music starts.

The curtain opens.

It's time.

This is a picture of me preparing for my variation.

 Thoughts rush through my head. What if I mess up? I have this irrational fear that I will make a crazy mistake or fall of the floor. But once I start dancing, that fear slowly fades away, dissolving into the familiar steps. I've done this dance so many times. I can do this. God has created me with a talent for ballet, and I can trust Him and my training.

The first piece is done, and I rush to the dressing room to change for my variation. Before going on stage the second time, I pray and tell myself to have fun. And I do. I dance with joy and grace, not wanting this moment to be over. I never quite remember the applause, only the feeling of satisfaction and joy.

I do all of that again before my third and final piece. While I wait, I watch the other dancers perform. I cheer them on with pride and happiness. We smile and laugh quietly in the wings, each of us savoring this moment. I look at one of the girl's face as she watches her brother dance. She had such an expression of pride and joy that makes me smile all the more!

Before I knew it, the curtain closed for the last time. We go out and congratulate each other. I hold my flowers proudly, continuously smiling. Recital may be over, but ballet isn't over. Next year will hold another Recital and more adventures. But I will treasure the moments made today forever.

That is what Recital is like. It is grace and beauty, hard work and sore feet. It is smiles and sweat, make up and hairspray. Recital represents why we do ballet and what we hope to achieve. Recital holds a very special place in my heart, and I hope that you've smiled too after reading about my experiences this Recital. I thank God for the opportunity to dance and the talent that He has given me. I can't wait to dance for Him in an even greater way in heaven. To God be the glory!

Hannah

Fall Ramblings

It was cold outside today. (Well, I say cold, but it was really above 40 degrees. That's "cold" for where I live.) I enjoyed wearing my jacket and scarf and boots. There's something about season changes that always gets me excited. And the beginning of winter is particularly exciting because of the holidays.

I love the holiday season. I love the food, the decorations, the presents, the laughter, the memories, and the joy that abounds in them. It's Thanksgiving break right now, and I'm so thankful. (No pun intended.) I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing week, where I can just chill, catch up on Psych, and also get a few things done that I've pushed back. I'm looking forward to the food and the games. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and with God. Yes, I'm looking forward to a lot of things.

But I'm also thankful for a lot of things right now. Here are five things that I am thankful for right now:

1. God's love for me. I read Psalm 22 this afternoon, and I became so amazed at God's grace and power and love! You should go read it too!

2. Sweatpants. They're comfy, warm, slightly too big, and perfect for cloudy fall days.

3. Psych. I've already mentioned this before in this post, but I've been catching up on Psych. My sister and I finally got our hands on the seventh season and we are going to be done with it shortly. (We watched five episodes yesterday and two so far today.)

4. A Christian home. I grew up in a Christian home, and for that I am very thankful. I have such a firm foundation to stand on! I am not saying that Christians who come from non-Christian homes are not as good as those who come from Christian backgrounds, but I am just saying that this way I am thankful that God has given me such a blessing!

5. Possibilities. I often take for grated all of the possibilities that I have. For example, this week is going to be full of possibilities. My family is taking a mini trip to Houston. I may paint me room. I  have so many opportunities that many people don't have, and for that I am thankful.

To God be the glory.

Hannah

Thankfall

Thankfall. Yes, I know, Thankfall isn't a word. But I'm thankful. And it's fall. And I'm thankful that it's fall. So, Thankfall came into existence.

I've noticed, that the culture in America today, there's not a lot of thankfulness going on. There's a lot of consumerism. There's a lot of rush. There's a lot of comparison and envy. What happened to the thankfulness?

I'm not saying that I am always thankful. In fact, I'm not. Too often I find myself saying, "I want that." Or, "I wish I looked like that." Or, "I wish I danced like her." Too many times I pass over the many wonderful things that God has placed in my life without thanking Him for His gifts. But as the Bible reminds me, "Every good and perfect gift is from above." (James 1:17)

 

(Image found on Pinterest) 

This includes fall. God made the seasons and the years, and at the end of creating all of this He said, "It is good." (Genesis 1) God made the trees turn from green to orange and from orange to red. He made the days become shorter and the nights colder. He made weather perfect for camp fires and hot chocolate, sweaters and boots. He made pumpkins for everything-pumpkin-spice, carrots for carrot cake, and turkeys for thanksgiving dinner. And He said, "It is good."

It is good.

It is good.

Say that to yourself today. Rest for a moment and say, "It is good." That doesn't mean that you think all of your circumstances are good, and they may be the opposite. But thankfulness isn't dependent on circumstances. Thankfulness from God comes from the fact that He is good and has made good things all around you. Thankfulness in God blossoms from realizing that wherever you are and whatever you're facing, God is always enough for you. Jesus has set you free! And that alone is sufficient enough for you to be thankful for for the rest of your life.

As a challenge to be thankful this fall, I am writing down three things each day that I'm thankful for. Whether it be someone's laugh or Blue Bell ice cream, there's always something to be thankful for. The trick is, living a lifestyle that looks for these gifts from God and praises the God who makes every good and perfect gift. I'm challenging myself to live this lifestyle because it sounds so wonderful! Who wouldn't want to have thankfulness founded in God as their constant companion in all situations?

So I challenge you to be thankful this fall. Or, as I like to put it, be thankfall.

Hannah