That is the name of the dance show that Wesley puts on every year.
The dance show I've now been in for 4 years.
However, this year it's taken on a whole new meaning.
My first year here at UGA, I learned that I could worship through dance. It was an experience I wanted everyone to experience. Year two, I added hip hop to the mix and through the weird, fun, and extreme dance choreography, I learned to just have fun in the presence of the Lord. Last year, things ran a little differently and I didn't really get to the same level of reverence and growth that I had previous years. So this year I sought to change that. I signed up to be a dancer leader and choreographer. I wanted to be a part of the planning and be sure to cultivate the initial purpose of Restoration.
"[Founding Wesley dancers] wanted a way to tangibly express God’s desire to see dance restored as the act of worship He created it to be. The Lord made it clear that this was not to be a normal dance performance; instead, it was to be a way for us as dancers to
1) Worship the Lord
2) Declare our – and more importantly, God’s – desire to see dance restored as an act of worship.
3) Reach out to those whose eyes have not yet been opened to the beauty and love of the Savior.
Restoration is simultaneously an act of worship and an act of evangelism. Through our worship of God through dance, we declare that He is worthy, that He alone is the way, the truth and the life, and that He longs to draw each person into a relationship with Him."
I wanted to restore the true meaning of dance into my dancers. So as I prepared this past summer to choreograph and teach dance for the first time, I searched for a song- a foundation to begin with.
I came up empty. It was frustrating and I didn't know how to find a song that had the right lyrics to go with the type of sound that I wanted. Jokingly, I asked someone I had met 30 minutes prior to write me a song. Instead, he challenged me to write the song.
I doubted, and often still do, that I had the ability to poetically express myself in a way that was creative, not cheesy or cliche, and held a potential to be a song. Then there was the thought that because I couldn't read a single music note, writing a song would be pointless. Little did I know what the Lord had in His plan.
Later that night, after that challenge, I sat in the prayer chapel and wrote these lyrics in about an hour and a half. I was finally able to express myself in an "acceptable" way. In my mind, crying at random moments when thinking about my dad became unacceptable anymore. I needed a way to move up to the next stage of grief and dealing with my thoughts about God. So that night, when these words flowed out as easily as tears had in the past, I laid there in awe of Jesus. As I laid there and wrote these words, I started to truly believe the lyrics in their entirely for the first time.
Each canvas is blank, pure, upright. With strokes of Your grace, images form. The colors blend brightly and the lines holding shape. Every detail ending in the beauty soon to be seen.
One day while painting, You add a detail so hard, complex. It sticks out, distracts from all the delicacy set before. Don’t You know this mark is a mark you can’t take back?
The Canvas is ruined. A masterpiece destroyed. Acclaimed to be the best, I trusted Your hands. Oh, Great Painter, see what You’ve done?
Throw the work away, all beauty is gone. There’s no way to fix this, it’s just too big. It detracts, distorts any beauty that was, beauty that was emerging before.
The Canvas is ruined. A masterpiece destroyed. Acclaimed to be the best, I trusted Your hands. Oh, Great Painter, see what You’ve done?
Yet, You keep painting, painting in silence and grace, confident that You’ve never made one mistake. The canvas never left until the work was framed and finished. The detail, still placed, whispers a bond between blemish and beauty. A bond too wonderful for me.
The canvas is revealed. A masterpiece complete. Acclaimed to be the best, I trusted Your hands. Oh, Great Painter. Oh, Great Painter. Oh, Great Painter, I’ve see what You’ve done.
Over the course of this school year, these words have been turned into a song. I have been completely blessed to have Paige in my life. Beyond being one of my closest friends, she took this task into her hands. Her sister wrote/played piano for it. Her friend recorded and mastered it. She played drums in it. One of her best friends sings it like an angel. I could go on and on about how much work she put into it, but I'll save that for when I brag to her about it. The point right now is that these lyrics became a song.
Then, the song became a dance, physically and metaphorically.
It became a dance that all of my dancers, and anyone else who dares to apply it to their own life, have been moved by. Everyone has their own blemish, something that they do/did not understand the purpose of.
At times, the dance can be fast or slow; while learning it seesaws between easy and hard. The process of getting to the point where the dancer understand that God is good, real, just, and has a purpose for everything in their life....it's not easy or fast....but after time, it starts to be.
The song became a dance that leads the dancers to unknown places, but they follow trusting that the steps are right. In the mist of the struggle, we may feel lost, but God is there leading out steps in the right direction as much as we feel as if we are on the wrong path.
Finally, The song became a dance that leads each person acorss the floor in amazement of how beautifully you've made it to the other side. Writing, choreographing, and teaching this song has restored a little more of my heart and helped me redefine what "beautiful" is.
All glory to God for every detail that has made this a success. All glory be lifted high on Friday night as we dance this song in worship of our Savior.
[One day, I'll find a way to post the song and video. Until then, peace.]
