"Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart." ~Ecclesiates 5:19-20
Well Y'all, a new season is underway here at Ballet Magnificat and I can't believe I am entering into my ninth season with them! I am so thankful!
Looking back and reflecting, I think that my life would prove it to be true that Ballet Magnificat really is like a greenhouse! For those of you who may never have heard Ballet Magnificat referred to as a greenhouse before and are wondering what I am talking about, let me explain. These past years, Ballet Magnificat has been for me a safe place, a set-apart-from-the-world environment where hearts and minds are protected and climate is controlled in a spiritual sense by the Son ruling and reigning over it, cultivating maturity and promoting growth in the spiritually hungry and like-minded people comprising the ministry, who came together not only because of a shared passion for dance but also because of the common desire to see the Lord glorified, that after some time spent together at Bmag start resembling more than ever before, "strong, healthy, beautiful seedbearing flowers and plants", just like that which you would find growing within the special shelter of a greenhouse.
For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ~Isaiah 55:12
I owe a lot of credit to Ballet Magnificat, God's chosen vessel used, for making me into all that I am today. I would have never guessed that this modest little ballet company in Jackson, Mississippi would have impacted my life so greatly! I have matured so much over the past couple years (nearly a decade!) here at Ballet Magnificat, both technically as a dancer and spiritually as a Christ follower, and I am beyond excited to see what more the Lord has for me in this upcoming season. Bring it on!
A couple of things I am certain of about this upcoming season are the things that the Lord has revealed to me about how He desires me to live out the next 12 months of my contracted time with Ballet Magnificat. Today I thought I would share a couple of those things with you! Maybe you will find Him nudging you to adopt some of these things too.
#1 Living to Improve not Impress. A lesson I will never stop having to relearn is that living to people-please gets me nowhere! Two Bible verses that come to mind on this topic are Galatians 1:10 and 2 Timothy 2:4. Knowing that people-pleasing leaves me high and dry every time, I haven't the slightest idea as to why I always relapse into it!? Perhaps it is the way I am wired, but I also suppose that the way the world operates, offering more incentives to those who people-please than those who desire to God-please, doesn't help and is distracting. But thankful to say, I've recently been given a fresh reassurance from the Lord that pleasing God over people-pleasing is the way to go! I've been reminded that pursuing excellency and improvement for God's Glory and for the sheer enjoyment of it in anything I do, is so much better than striving and agonizing over trying to meet the sometimes unrealistic standards of insatiable mere human beings, that doesn't amount to anything but empty accolades and vain short-lasting praise anyway.
#2 Resting in the Lord. Formerly, I was spending a good portion of my energy seeking to refresh and enhance my life- physically and mentally, with physical solutions, BUT what I have come to learn is that in order to obtain any kind of rest and refreshment, whether it be for mind, body, or soul, it can only be fully achieved by resting in the Lord. Two verses that come to mind pertaining to this topic are 1 Timothy 4:8 and Matthew 11:28-30. I've learned that I need to be careful not to seek the actual thing of "rest" more than I seek after God and that even though not all situations may seem conducive for resting, rest WILL come when I seek him; practically doing so through prayer and His Word.
#3 Living Life Well. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about life, death, eternity, and salvation. I've been thinking about people, some I know, that find themselves on their deathbeds without a choice to live due to serious illness, maybe because of some freak accident, or considering also those being physically persecuted for their faith in other countries, and my heart is saddened. Then, especially on the heels of our summer workshop working with the children of this up and coming generation so quick to entertain ideas of suicide, I think about people who have the free choice to live, but then go and give it up, and my heart is saddened further. Then I think about people like ME (sometimes) who go on living life half asleep, complacently, or in longlasting discontentment and I've been MAJORLY convicted about it. God has been teaching me just how precious of a gift life is, for the believer and unbeliever alike, and I want to live it well! Sure undergoing dreadfully difficult times is apart of the package of life, but life also offers us good times, sweet moments of blissful elation that we wouldn't trade for the world, wouldn't you say?
My mind really gets blown away pondering on all what Christ went through to accomplish for me, for his children, for believers, to secure and ensure for us that we might have nothing BUT good times to come, for all of eternity! What kind of amazing future is that? What kind of love?! So with this precious life I've been given here on earth, and with the promise of a heavenly future, I want to make sure I live this life solely for the one who gave it to me and to be thankful; to live out my calling on earth well which is so much more than just what I do, but is also about what goes on in my heart and my mind, you know what I mean? Some bible verses that come to mind when reflecting on this topic are 2 Peter 1:3-11 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.
Well here's to a new season; and living it rightly! Happy back-to-school to any of you returning to your respective studies and dance studios! I intend to post some blog entries soon for you bun heads that will be featuring excellent online dance resources and some getting-back-into-shape tips so stay tuned! Until then, you can check out my Staying In Shape Regimine I posted about a while back. Yes, we company members are no strangers to the getting-back-into-shape process and have been at it for a couple of weeks now. Along with our daily technique classes taught by Mr. Jiri Voborsky and Ms. Sol Maisonet we have been furiously rehearsing "The Return of Snow Queen" a revised, new and exciting version of the original "Snow Queen" that we performed just a few years ago, and the Ballet Magnificat Trainees will be joining us in the fun of rehearsing "The Return of Snow Queen" as early as next Monday which will be their first day back in the studio for the school year... fun (sore) times ahead! I hope you've already purchased your tickets for "The Return of Snow Queen" because it is gonna be epic (and well-rehearsed, haha...) and you are not going to want to miss it!! Get your tickets below!
It feels so good to be back at it with blogging again! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read! It also feels so good to be back in the preparing stage for touring again with Ballet Magnificat. Our tour season begins the end of next month for the Ballet Magnificat Alpha Company and our booking calendar can be found HERE if you are interested in seeing where we will be going. Touring always makes for good blogging material with all the adventures we go on! I just can't wait to get on the road again and tell you all about it! I know the Lord has awesome and fun things in store for us because He always does! Check back soon for updates and in the meantime, you can pray for us!
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