The second month of school-year dance classes can be challenging. Sure, just getting in the door takes bravery, but once you’re past the excitement of newness and Fall Peek Week, you find yourself deep in the throes of early syllabus work, technique training, and breaking down all the steps you’re building toward. The spotlights can seem so far away from the barre. But I’ve got news for you! That’s exactly when and where your dance can grow the most—and exactly why we’re studying the devotional prompts of “Cultivate” through Ezekiel 36:34:
“The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.”
It’s hard to connect your dreams to those in-class drills when you can’t see the path from one to the other. But just like in any dream, God is working—even when we can’t see it! Dreams become decisions when you cultivate them. Did you know that Ms. Tina couldn’t always see the path forward for Turning Pointe? Especially after He planted the dream in her heart, then called her to a college… without dance.
“My heart had been so moved seeing Ballet Magnificat in high school, and seeing how dance and faith could be used together,” she said. “My plan, and what made sense, was to major in dance in college and be a light in the darkness. I was going to pioneer dance and faith! Let’s GO! But it was not time. God had other plans for me in that season. So I was mad.”
Seasons of cultivation aren’t usually known for being loads of fun. In fact, to cultivate means to work. It’s a pre-planting season of active preparation, be it testing the ground, breaking up the parts of hard dirt that need to be loosened, or adjusting the soil’s nutrients. It can seem like a lot of fuss over some dirt for seeds that haven’t even been planted yet—just like basic technique drills can seem tedious when you’re dreaming of leaps and turns. But all that hard work pays off with a healthy harvest, and the same is true for your dancing. And the same was true for Turning Pointe!
“At the time, it felt like I was having to let this dream and passion die,” Ms. Tina said. “And you know what? That is exactly how God was cultivating my heart. He wanted me to dig in—to pay attention. Who is this dream really for? Is dance more important than God? These were all questions I was faced with one night when I was so desperate for an answer. That night in my dorm room on my knees, I came to the humble and vulnerable place where I told God, ‘Lord, if I NEVER dance again, I will praise you. If I never teach dance or if this dream is never fulfilled, I will live my life to worship you. This dream belongs to you. I surrender.’”
Dreaming was never meant to be easy. Ecclesiastes 5:3 tells us that “a dream comes with much business.” That itch in your heart to dance for something greater was put there for a reason—but it’s impossible to fulfill on your own. Why? Our dreams are meant to point us to Christ and to magnify him.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” — John 15:5
So in this season of cultivation, let’s make sure we’re planting our dreams at the foot of the cross. Dance is worth failing a few times and growing from lessons learned. It’s worth taking a risk when everyone else seems to be safe, or spending extra time and care when others seemingly zoom up the ranks. It is worth it because in pursuing it, you will know the Lord more deeply.
“Friends, the cultivation of the dream was not easy,” Ms. Tina said. “The digging in, the paying attention, getting that soil of my heart ready—it was painful. Surrender has been a daily process for all these years. And I can still say (this time with hope and complete trust), ‘God, this dream belongs to you. I surrender.’ And now with confidence I can say, even when I don’t understand or when it’s hard, I can say ‘yes’ to Him. I’m thankful for the process. I’m thankful that He lovingly cultivates our hearts and makes them ready to receive what He has promised.”