It’s time for New Choreography

The moment the foot hits the floor to start a new day, we are on stage. There are no warm-ups or dress rehearsals for the dance called Life. And for the good or the bad, we choose our own choreography. We must ask ourselves: Does our dance serve a greater purpose? Does it give us joy and others joy? Is it moving us in the direction of our destiny on this planet?

This past week I did something I have not done in 3o years. I took a lyrical ballet class. You must be giggling, especially since I confessed last week that I am clumsy. But I am seeking to live with more grace in my life and often that requires learning some new choreography.

Recently, I have been working on a new piece of writing. It is about about a boy named Pasquale. He is humming along in life until one night in a dream he is visited by an angel. In the angel’s arms is the Book of Life. The angel flips to the page with Pasquale’s name and the date he took his first breath on earth. Just below there is another important date. It is the day Pasquale will take his last breath on earth. Before Pasquale can see the year, the angel closes the book. In that moment, Pasquale has an epiphany. And so the story begins (or atleast I hope it does!) as Pasquale sets out to understand himself, God, the secrets of the universe, and  his unique destiny on this planet.

Like Pasquale, not a single one of us knows the date of our final breath here on earth. And yet so many of us are just going through the motions, or we have boarded a fast moving train, and sadly, our lives are passing us by in a blur.

Let’s be honest, many of us get up on the stage of life and perform the same choreography over and over again. Our lives have become so routine, predictable, and safe. We continue to be dictated by the same fears, hang ups, sins, approaches to relationships, and comfortable faith. We live in marriages that chip away at our spirit but haven’t the courage to change them. We work jobs that don’t inspire and bring us little joy. We hide behind busyness so we don’t have to be alone with ourselves. We postpone our dreams and spend little time nourishing the only part of us that doesn’t have an expiration date, our souls.

To say it simply, we have allowed the choreography of our lives to become stale… which means we have left little chance for epiphanies, these A-ha moments of grace, where we feel inspired, experience a deeper sense of God’s presence in our lives, and begin to understand the truth that we were put on this planet for a sacred reason.

One of the questions Pasquale asks himself, and I ask myself regularly is, “What does it mean to carry the soul of God within me? And how am I responding to that beautiful truth?

Many of my prayers focus on asking God to help me understand my greater purpose here on earth. I often fret that I am not living up to my full potential in God’s eyes even that I am letting God down.

Hamlet asked the tough question, “Are you up to your destiny?”

It’s certainly much easier to stick with the same old choreography, but a true seeker believes their life has a holy purpose and they spend every single breath striving for a life full of beauty and meaning. To be up for your destiny requires that you show up for life with courage and daring. You pay attention to the messages that God and the universe is sending you. You spend time self-reflecting and make adjustments in the areas of your life that just aren’t working in your dance. You elevate the ordinary to the rank of extraordinary as often as you can. You have a life strategy that focuses every breath on fulfilling your life’s greater purpose.  You lean into God for inspiration. You meet the world with a positive attitude & gratitude, AND…

You never postpone joy, ever!

Now I realize that these are big dance shoes to fill, but every day offers another chance to try again, to move one step closer to our destiny!

This is the time, not tomorrow, not when the kids grow up, not when we feel stronger, braver, have more time….no, the time is right now. We must let go of the antiquated dance moves that rob our souls of joy and take us off the path of our destiny. It’s time we start working on some new choreography in the dance that is our life!

Live in Hope,

Farrell