Sacred Dance of Faith
Simplicity and Faith
Reflection By Robbin Brent
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.
- Joseph Brackett, Simple Gifts
The Shakers believed that dancing brought them closer to God. This song was written for dancing as a celebration of their faith and love of God through joyful movement in community.
In dancing, we often have a partner. I imagine God being our partner for this sacred dance of life. When I can trust and let go and follow, I always feel I’m in the right place in the life God has invited me to live. So, how can we know? “Turning with delight” describes the movement we’ll experience along the way, and how we will know that we are headed toward our own true north, the place where our desires join God’s desires for us.
When I’m trying to discern what next step (turning) I need to take in any situation, my wise spiritual Guide encourages me to simply ask, “Does this draw me toward God, or away from God?” I could also add, “Toward balance or away from balance? Toward simplicity or away from simplicity? Toward letting go of what gets in the way of my love of God, or away? Toward joy or away from joy? Toward a deeper faith or away from my faith?”
One of the ways I know that my desires and God’s desires for me are in alignment is the sense of peace and calm that I feel, an ease I experience in my body. If this resonates with you, perhaps you might pay attention this coming week to how you are feeling in your body when you are choosing what to do next in your day. Do you feel a sense of calm? Of ease, of a just-rightness? Or do you feel off balance, uncomfortable, out of sorts? Pay attention and allow your body to help guide you, one right choice at a time, toward a life of greater simplicity, more balance, more joy, more calm, more ease.
Making it Personal: How do you know you are “coming ’round right”? How might you intentionally call on your faith and the wisdom of your body to help guide your next steps?