“Grace for the Dance Moms” by Katie Taylor
I tried dance when I was a child. It did not last long. My 7-year-old self may have said the reason was the tights. The weekly fight of getting them on was like squeezing a tiger into a dead snake. But really it’s because I found other sports were a fit for me…anything with competition, points and a team.
I tried dance with my oldest daughter, Mary. I wanted so badly to be a good dance mom. She would cry beforehand saying dance class just took too long. We threw away the tights, moved onto the soccer field and never looked back.
But Anna. From the time she was one, my youngest daughter has eaten finger food with her thumb and pointer finger like a British person having high tea. Her eyelashes are an inch long. She was born to twirl.
So I signed her up for dance. I am usually good at mom details, but learning dance has been like learning another language. I tried my very best, but there were so many things. After missing the picture pick up and sending her to the preview for parents without tap shoes for the tap dance (I know, I know, we had just come from the pool), I sent my friend a text saying, “I am a dance dingbat.”
As the words released from my fingers, I felt the Holy Spirit gently and firmly whisper, “you are not a dingbat.”
I stood still in my tracks. The condemnation rolled off. He’s right.
I am Anna’s mom. But to God, I am His daughter. And His message to me is similar to what I said to my girl before the big recital.
If you mess up, just keep going. And remember to smile. Have a little fun out there. You have no idea how precious you are in my sight.
I wish little Anna could see that it wasn’t about the steps, but the one taking them. My delight wasn’t in the dance, but the daughter. And I believe that’s how God sees us mommas. He never calls us a dingbat or winces at our missteps. He delights in watching us do the dance of motherhood. We bring Him more joy than we can possibly understand just by being us.
With this new revelation, I took Anna to her recital rehearsal at the concert hall. All of the age groups gathered in one place to see their ballerinas. I arrived in a full sweat after doing the make-up, curling the hair and transporting all the sequin pieces on a wrinkle-free ride.
But I missed one tiny piece. The safety pin. The teacher walked over to Anna on stage and made an announcement to all the moms while holding up her shoulder strap.
“See this. Moms, we want to make sure we have safety pins to hold these straps up so this doesn’t happen.”
Having done a fitting and paid what we did for the costume, I assumed it would fit like a glove.
I exhaled.
Jesus reminded me of the conversation we had earlier. You are not a dingbat. You’re a delight. Take the next step. Remember to smile. I am so proud of you.
I looked at Anna grinning with glee as her teacher held up her shoulder straps on stage.
The pretend audience I thought was judging me for missing the safety pin was not thinking about me at all. The other moms were on their phones and putting lipstick on their daughters.
I sat up tall in my seat. I waved at Anna with a proud smile. No one’s eyes were on my mistake.
But the moment did not go unseen.
Because our Heavenly Daddy never takes His eyes off His girls. What happens behind the curtain in our minds is what He sees as the real show. And there’s a cloud of witnesses in the Heavens cheering us on. They are more real than the critics we make up in our minds. And I believe they do a standing ovation when any of God’s girls land that twirl…that breathtaking turn…from condemnation to grace.
Written by ~ Katie Taylor
Katie is the wife of Will Taylor and blessed momma of three young children. The Taylors are active members at Rivertree Church, and Katie is a volunteer at the Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center. Her passion is journeying alongside people toward freedom in Christ. She loves finding treasures in God’s word and everyday life.
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