If you know me at all, then you know that I absolutely love Latin dancing. From salsa to bachata, it does my soul good whenever I get to be on the dance floor swaying to the rhythms of the Latin persuasion.
Well I am in NYC visiting my best friend after a year of not seeing each other so it was only necessary for us to make an appearance at a salsa event in the city.
I was there for about an hour when I had a revelation. I had this revelation before comparing salsa to how I want to be led in a relationship, but this revelation was a tad different.
Improving my salsa skills is similar to developing my relationship with the Lord.
It takes time, effort, the willingness to learn, the ability to be led, grace, and heart.
With salsa, you don't just get it right from the beginning. You have to learn the steps. This takes time and effort on your part, whether its practicing with your partner daily or in front of the mirror in your bedroom. You have to feel it out and try.
For both women and men, you have to learn! Salsa gets boring when all you know is how to step forward and backward. Men have to learn how to lead and women have to learn how to follow. Learning is improving and there is always a space for improvement. Even professional salseros have to practice practice practice and even then, nobody is perfect.
For women (and arguably even for men in regards to this specific topic), we have to learn to be led. If I get on the dance floor and try to lead my partner then it messes up the natural flow of the dance. I have to allow myself to be led by my partner and succumb my steps to how he is leading. If he wants to turn me to the right, then my body should go in that direction. If he wants to lead me beside him, then my feet should follow suit.
Salsa (and all of the Latin dances) is all about grace. What makes it beautiful is being simple in your steps. You don't have to try hard to make it beautiful. It just is on its own.
Lastly, your heart is what levels your learning capabilities. Your passion, your drive, your heartbeat for the dance is what makes learning and even failing at some points worth the steps you take. It's the center of it really.
It's all so beautiful really. And oh how relevant it is to our relationship with the Lord. If we would just give it time and grace, and our hearts, it would continue to blossom. We don't have to try hard, we just follow where our Partner leads and pay attention to His hands and movements.
It's that simple, yet such a process.
