Encouragement at a Dance Recital

I started the day at the Marriott this morning. I spent a personal retreat night there last night. Oh, how I wish I could have extended it another night, but other commitments took precedence. I spent time praying, reading God’s Word and just being quiet as I just spent time alone with God. That may sound strange to some, but I haven’t done it for years and I loved it. It made me want to do it again soon, and for a longer period of time. 

I prayed for God to show me something during my time away. Nothing concrete came during that less than 24 hour period, but I feel He showed me something else later throughout the day.

We experienced a beautiful morning at the Marriott for Mission of Hope’s Rally for Hope. I’ll be making a Mission Tuesday post about it soon to share the joy of that event. But what I saw this morning were people coming together for a common cause to help Mission of Hope and to have some fun in the process. Both were accomplished this morning. 

My family and I attended my niece’s dance recital later in the afternoon. It was nicely done, and Reagan performed so well. She was cute, as always! 

I watched girls, from probably preschool age, to high school Seniors, and every age in between do what they love…dance. Every size, every shape. All were beautiful in their own way. I marveled at God’s creation… how He made each girl unique. I began to think of how He has given each of these girls special gifts, talents, and abilities. All different from one another. And yet they individually came together to share their joy of dancing. Yes, some were more talented than others, but all were dancing their little hearts out. 

I watched as some girls seemed confident “in their skin,” and I could see that some weren’t so confident. Some were leading the other dancers, and knew every move. (Reagan was one of these.) Some were only looking at the girl in the center to make sure they were following her. Some were looking proudly in the direction of the audience, some stayed looking down at their feet and at the others on the stage. My heart was drawn to one girl during a dance who looked like she wanted to cry. But in her next dance, I noticed a smile had replaced her sadness. I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe someone encouraged her.” or “Maybe fear had been replaced with joy.” Either way, she danced beautifully.

One girl, who is a Senior this year, I noticed later is the daughter of a former classmate of mine from 1st through 5th Grade. I recognized him and watched as he interacted with his daughter with an adorable high five offered to and received from her. The whole scene made me smile. 

I also saw the daughter of one of my high school classmates on the stage. What a wonderful dancer she is! I knew she belonged to this friend of mine…she looks so much like him and her mom. I was hoping to say something to him afterwards, but I didn’t see him. It brought me joy to see her doing what she seemed to love.

These precious girls touched my heart. They each have a journey ahead of them. Will they pursue dancing for many years or will they be pulled in a different direction? Will some allow others to squash their dreams? Will some fight for them? God has plans for each one. I pray they find Him and follow His plans. 🙂

One of the songs played during the recital was Mark Schultz’s Until I See You Again… one of my favorites. The first verse grabbed my attention: