Living With A Lens of Hope
Dance is transformational because it’s multifaceted. As an exercise, dance is about training one’s body. Because dance is also an art, it’s also about training one’s spirit. What happens when we push our spirit towards hope? Hear from Emma Kate, who taught contemporary dance with us last semester, about a valuable lesson in hope gleaned from one of her students.
“I am strong and full of life!” loudly sings an energetic eight-year-old girl on her way into dance class. As I ask everyone to circle up, she lingers by the large studio mirrors emphatically singing and practicing the movements of the dance with theatrical flair before spinning her way over to the huddle of girls and volunteers.
She was belting the lyrics to Bethel Music’s “Catch the Wind,” the song I selected for our 8–10 year olds to perform in our Winter Showcase. I chose this song in part because the music’s swell inspired a vision of curtains billowing and ribbons flying—perfect props to give the girls greater depth of expression. But I primarily chose the song for those lyrics. It’s a message about confidence in God and the life He fills us with, which fit our youth program’s theme this year: hope. Little did I know how much impact one simple line would have.
The beginning of the semester was a little rocky, both for myself and for the girls. It takes time for the dancers to adjust to a new teacher, and it takes time for a new teacher to determine the girls’ skill levels and learn how to handle the inevitable chaos that comes with having a dozen high-energy girls in one class. But I had a clear vision of the girls freely dancing from a place of confidence and joy.
Throughout the semester, we talked about a variety of concepts in class. Confidence. Trust. Practicing healthy self-talk. Dancing not only because it brings us joy, but ultimately because God delights in us. We learned to celebrate everyday moments of small success, like standing in formation or remembering a new step. With time, the small successes started to add up—until even the most energetic of the bunch was running into class singing the song lyrics and eager to learn! Years from now, these dancers may not remember this choreography, but the message “I am strong and full of life” will be one that has an enduring impact.
On days when I was hyper focused on the details of the choreography, these girls would sing those lyrics and remind me of the big picture, of the reason I moved to San Francisco to help with this dance program: to empower these girls to see the world through a lens of bold hope. I have learned so much from energetic children. They show me that life is more enjoyable when looked at with wonder and laughter—even if it disrupts class every once in a while!
What does being full of life look like? It looks like living from a mindset of abundance. It looks like letting go of worry and instead finding hope in every little moment. Do you want to give the gift of sharing abundant joy? Click here to find out how you can be involved!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13