By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)
I remember the first time I saw Riverdance on television. Flipping through channels as I lounged on my parents’ nubby couch late one night, my jaw dropped when I caught sight of those lithe bodies and kicky heels reel across the stage, every one of the dancers’ limbs moving precisely in unison. Toes and heels tapping, arms taut, torsos erect, the entire troupe of thirty dancers moved perfectly in step. I couldn’t take my eyes of them.
I hadn’t thought about Riverdance for a long time, until recently, when I read this verse:
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25).
I suspect I don’t keep in step with the Holy Spirit with Riverdance precision. In fact, I suspect I frequently dance to my own tune or veer off altogether, much like I did when I played clarinet in my high school marching band. Back then, I’d fall in line next to the flutes and oboes and begin the trek across the football field, only to find that halfway through When the Saints Come Marching In, I’d have wandered out of the winds and straight into the brass, out of step and off-key.
I’m guessing my problem was lack of practice – once a week wasn’t nearly enough to keep my feet moving in the right direction.
These days I’m learning that spiritual disciplines take practice as well. On a positive note, practicing faith is far easier on the calf muscles than jigs and reels. Plus, I’m a lot less likely to succumb to plantar fasciitis. On the down side, it’s still practice.
Three months ago I began an early morning ritual: Bible reading and prayer. Warm cup of coffee in hand, I bury myself under a down comforter on the couch with the Bible open on my lap. I don’t read much at one time – a few verses, a chapter at most. Occasionally I take notes or underline verses that resonate. Then I close the book, sink deep into the cushions and pray.
I start with the handful of people on my prayer list (this, incidentally, grew out of blogging. I figure if I leave a comment on a post saying, “I will pray for you,” I darn well better do it). Then come a few requests for my own spiritual livelihood. A few days ago at the start of a four-day weekend at home with the kids, for instance, I prayed to God that he “help me be a fun mom.”
Yes, for the record, I need to pray to be fun.
Like any discipline, whether it’s dancing or dieting or marching in a straight line in tune with the music, prayer and Bible study require practice. Nurturing my relationship with God simply doesn’t magically happen overnight. I have to work at it. I have to practice. I have to practice even when I don’t much feel like it.
And in this practice, in this everyday routine, I occasionally fall into perfect step. The Spirit leads, I follow, and we dance in graceful unison, if only for a while.
Michelle is a Christian wife and mother of two originally from Massachusetts now living in Nebraska. She is a part-time writer, editor and fundraiser for Nebraska PBS/NPR. Michelle loves to write about how her family illuminates God's presence in her everyday life, and on finding (and keeping) faith in the everyday. Michelle enjoys reading, running and writing. Be sure to go visit her blog, Graceful, Faith in the Everyday.