Unconditional Love

This week’s devotional series is written by a woman who has experienced the challenge of watching her daughter turn away from the things she once held dear.  Parenting a Prodigal isn’t easy and God has revealed some Real Truth’s to this mom in the midst of her Real Life story.  For part one, just click Given the Time .

In Luke 15, the Father of the Prodigal, as with our Heavenly Father, did not presume his sons “owed” him.  Further, he must have been consistently generous with his money and his love through the years because his sons recognized a level of independence and freedom or, in that culture and time, the youngest would not have been able to ask for a division of assets and leave.

The Father of the Prodigal, as with our Heavenly Father, knew enough to hold his sons loosely—not controlling with a closed fist mind-set.

My Heavenly Father loves me enough to allow me a long leash as I exercise my free will and make choices.  He allows me to make choices that take me outside His will and His best, yet loves me through those choices and uses the consequences to draw me back to His loving arms.  Psalm 23:6 assures us that God pursues us with His love even when we are prodigals.

Oh, to parent my child with that same unconditional love!   The example our Heavenly Father has set for us is summarized “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.  With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.” Jeremiah 31:3.

It is easy as a parent to want to advise…to correct…to guide.  After all, because of our own past mistakes or experiences of age, we often see the direction their decisions are taking them.  Sometimes a parent feels obligated for his child’s own good, to point out things he knows the child doesn’t want to hear.  Believe me it would be so much easier to keep my mouth shut!  Except when you want that child to be the best he can be, you can’t.  Unfortunately, too often the way I handled presenting that guidance or advice wasn’t received well and only resulted in further alienation.  I have learned the truth of Proverbs 3:7-8 “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn your back on evil.  Then you will gain renewed health and vitality.”

Like the Father of the Prodigal, I have learned to watch and wait.  It isn’t easy, in fact, it is extremely difficult.  I hurt watching her make poor choices.  I find I have to isolate myself from much of her life for fear I will speak when I should keep my own counsel.  I work at saying “I love you” frequently.  The rest will have to wait.  But this I know, no matter the mistakes we make as parents in parenting, we can be assured that when we seek the Lord and give it our best that He will fill in the gaps.  Psalm 103:17 is God’s promise to future generations when we are faithful.

I believe those small faithful parenting steps I have taken through the years established solid principles of love that will allow her the strength to someday come back to her Heavenly Father and my loving arms.   Just as the Father of the Prodigal, my role now is to watch, wait and lean into the Lord God and Trust Him with the desires of my heart, Proverb 3:5-6.

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Art of Dance

Today’s interview in our Creativity on Display series is with a woman who uses dance as creative expression, her career, and a means to glorify God. 

 

God created in you the ability to dance.  How have you used that gift in the past and how do you currently use that gift?

I began dancing at Glenn’s School of Dance in Howell at age nine because my friends were all doing it! I ended up loving it and continued through high school in the P.A.D.T children’s company that took us around the country traveling to different cities to compete. I won over twenty scholarships that helped ease the cost of travel and competitions along the way. After high school, I earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan and danced and performed there for a year. I decided that wasn’t where I wanted to stay and I didn’t want to major in dance. I finished college at Michigan State University with a BA is Advertising. I was on the Dance Team there and performed at football and basketball games. Throughout my college years I worked professionally around the country and traveling abroad. I worked for Reebok, Nailco, Cher, Mary J. Blige, was on the tv show “Dance Fever” to name a few and was also in a Detroit dance company. I lived in NYC for a summer training under several top choreographers in the country. I substitute taught at several universities in Michigan. I have continued teaching at Glenn’s School of Dance on and off over the past twelve years. I currently teach ages 3-18 in all styles of dance and I’m choreographing a competition piece. I have done several different events at the church. I choreographed for Dancing with the Stars and the Children’s Musical.

 

Has it always come easily?  What have you done to improve and keep up your skills through the years?

It has been pretty easy. The Lord blessed me with flexibility, visual learning skills, rhythm, musicality and body awareness. Without all of these qualities it would’ve been real difficult to improve over the years. To keep up my skills I like to take class in NYC and at conventions around Michigan. I watch different dancing movies and shows to keep up with the education side of it and go to dance competitions. I try to push my older students and choreograph to my highest ability for them. In doing this, I have to dance it for them, watch them and learn from them! It is amazing how much I’ve grown just from watching my students manipulate the movement over the years. Each one of them has their own distinct style that may not be mine.

 

Has dance ever been a barrier to you in any way, either socially or spiritually?  Has dance given you opportunities you may not otherwise have had, either socially or spiritually?

Dance has been a barrier in a few different ways. One example is when I was on the dance team at MSU, it was hard to be on the dance team where you are well known on campus and most of the girls on the team liked to go out to the bars and party. At this point I knew the Lord and had to fight my past and my sinful nature to want to go out and do what they did. I was very close with all of them and we spent a lot of time together. It was very hard and I needed the Lord’s strength to say “no” many times. On the other hand it was an awesome opportunity for me to tell them about Christ and how my life had changed because of Him.

When I am teaching at Glenn’s School of Dance, I do not have any restrictions on what music I can play in class or choreograph to for the recital. In class I’m able to play Christian music and I’ve used many Christian songs for the recital where hundreds of family of the students come to watch. This is a huge opportunity to spread my faith through the music to many people in the community. They might link them together but I’m doing my best to be a servant of the Lord. I try to be a light to all my students and to the parents. I have been given this amazing talent from the Lord and I need to use it to do good for Him.

 

What do you most appreciate about this creative gift that God has given you?

 Wow…I didn’t realize it was a gift from God until a lot later in my life. Growing up, I relied on myself to improve and always was proud of myself with what I accomplished. I began to learn that God was and had been in control the entire time and was orchestrating it all. I became so thankful the moment it finally clicked and I’m so blessed to have this talent and to be able to share it with so many other people. I have been so many amazing places, performed in front of thousands of people and in all of it can now give God the glory for my gift.

I love most of all the performing aspect of dancing. I love to be on stage and portraying the music and emotions through the dance. Dance is an art form like no other. The human body is our instrument and we have to mold, shape and portray the music through it. I love the feeling of complete freedom and getting lost in the music. God is good and I thank Him that he loves dancing too. Psalm 149 reads, “Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.” The true beauty is that in heaven I won’t need to teach anyone to dance, you all will have the gift too and we will praise Him together.

 

 

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