I'm a dancer, among other things. I dance Country Swing, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blue Tango, and even a little Hip Hop. If you teach it to me, I'll dance it. When I first started out, I was in a High School class with more girls than guys with one of my band friends. We decided that since we were comfortable with each other, we'd dance together. After a few days, we settled into a pattern with me leading and her following. So, the first four months of my dance career (not including those times at EFY or Youth Conference when they try to teach teenagers to touch each other and dance), I was the lead of our team. We had fun in that class. I learned the basic steps to a bunch of new dances, and learned how to move to a beat. However, I found I had trouble when I came to college and now had to follow a guy I had only just met and would only dance with for one song.
When I started following, I was stiff and thought more about the steps than the movement. I'd watch the feet of my partner and strive to do my part perfectly. What ended up happening was that it looked stiff, incompetent, and like a made a ton of mistakes. I joined the Swing Kids Beginning Dance Team, and there I learned how to follow. I learned to let go. The steps are important, but you must implant them in your brain so it becomes second nature to do them, and then not think about them anymore. Put in a little style, and go big. If you dance big, even if you make a mistake no one can tell. Over the course of two months, I learned what steps generally follow certain steps. I got good at reacting to what steps a guy takes. This worked: it looked OK. But it felt off-step. I was always half a step behind the guy, reacting instead of going with him. Then last Thursday, I went to Blue Tango at the OZZ...
At Blue Tango, I had a very interesting conversation. One of my partners said he has led and followed and he decided following was harder. I disagreed; I thought following was easier since you only think in the moment, not about what's coming. However, I have since thought about it, and decided he was right. I think following is harder. When you lead, you think just about what you're doing, and what you want your partner to do, then you push or pull them that way, give them cues to tell them what to do. The follow, however nice it is not to think about what's coming, has the harder job because they must interpret the clues the lead gives them, and act accordingly, all in a split-second so it doesn't look off-set. It's a mind-set different from our normal mind-set. When I realized that in the last week, I also realized that following God is a mind-set we must develop, it's a process. As followers of God, He is sending us signals on what He wants us to do. It is our job to interpret and act on those signals in a timely manner. If we are distracted or out-of-tune (if our connection is bad), we misinterpret signals, or miss them altogether, and our life becomes off-kilter.
So, this semester as I've danced, I've learned to develop a follower's mind-set and have gotten better at understanding where my partner wants me to go next. I'm still learning, but with practice I'll get there. And I'll keep developing my connection with God to get a better and understanding of where He wants me to go next. With practice throughout my life, I'll get to where He can give me a look and I'll know what He wants and do it, so I'll be an instrument in His hands.
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