Family By Divine Design:: I Hope You Dance

14 September 2013

I Hope You Dance

It's been awhile. The summer was busy and had some unexpected happenings. Some of them heartbreaking. I was having a tough day today, and after my husband got back from work (yep, on a Saturday) I needed to go to my room and have a good cry. It actually didn't take me long to get it out, but I still wasn't ready join my little family (I was hiding out in my room). So, I pulled out an old journal of mine and started reading; sometimes reviewing the past gives you better perspective in your present, and for planning your future. This is why we study history, is it not? I personally prefer to take my history in the form of historical fiction. But that's not really what I'm posting to say today. I came across something in my journal that I'd like to share.

Entry dated 10 October 2004, this was a reflection on a Sunday School class I'd been in that day:

"Someone made the comment that it's so difficult to build a relationship with someone we can't see (referring to Heavenly Father); that it's difficult enough to build a relationship with someone we can see. I thought to myself that sometimes it's easier not to see. What I was thinking of specifically when I thought that was that in my social dance class that I T.A., the teacher did a lead/follow activity where the girls had to close their eyes. One of the girls in the class told me that it was easier to follow with her eyes closed. That's probably because when you have your eyes closed, it keeps you from anticipating the lead. If the connection between the leader and follower is good, the following can be flawless.

In our 'close-eyed' relationship with the Lord, perhaps we're closing our eyes to the temptations of the world and focusing on our connection with the Lord. Closing our eyes quiets our minds in order to use our inner eye to more accurately follow the lead of the Lord."

As I reflect on this entry today, it occurs to me that another thing to close our eyes to is questions. In this life it is our our right and responsibility to make choices, but there are certain things that we do not get to choose. We don't get to choose how long our loved ones live. Once we've chosen as parents to try to conceive, we don't get to choose that we're successful in our attempts or that the pregnancy goes full term. In these situations and others it can be tempting to ask why.

Asking questions is a good thing, but the whys cannot always be immediately satisfied.This is where following blindly comes in. I firmly believe that someday all of our whys will be answered. But until then I follow the Lord and His plan somewhat blindly and full of trust. Why? Because I have previously had my faith tested and found that the Lord led me through all kinds of darkness when I couldn't see ahead at all. When I have been making sincere attempts to follow His lead, He has never let me fall. And that's why I don't even ask some questions. I know that things will be made clear at some point, either in this life or the next. In the meantime I'll keep on dancing with the Lord. I do love dancing after all.

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David's Bio

I grew up in southeastern Idaho moving at age one from the center of our town to the outskirts. This home had approximately ten acres and much of my youth was spent outdoors both playing and working with my grandparents on their farms. I enjoyed sports throughout my life and was active in wrestling and football throughout junior high and high school. My junior and senior years at high school a sweet young girl even convinced me to join the ballroom dance team. I graduated from high school and attended BYU where I earned my Bachelors degree in Biology in April 2007. Having been raised in the gospel it has always been an influence in my life.

Rachael's Bio

I lived in south central Idaho on a two-acre property in a three-story home until the fourth grade. We moved to Idaho's capitol where we lived until I was in eighth grade when we moved to south eastern Idaho. This move affected my life greatly. It helped me to gain and solidify my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as helped me decide how accurately I was going to live the gospel. This is also where I met David who was to become my best friend and husband. After graduating from high school in 2001 I attended BYU for four and a half years and graduated with a B.A. in Modern Dance, shortly before giving birth to our first child. Through all of my experiences my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ and my dedication to living His gospel with integrity has increased. My greatest desire is that I will be able to help my children live and love the gospel.

Our Love Story

Rachael and David met first in their ward after Rachael moved in at the age of fourteen. Rachael's family had just moved across town to a home more suited to their needs than the original duplex. Both of their families were active in the church and Rachael and David both served in leadership positions of their respective YM/YW groups. With that constant exposure to each other was added the fact that they went to the same high school and were in the same graduating class. They found each other to be attractive and dated each other quite a bit near the end of their senior year and the summer afterward. After his freshman year at BYU David went on a mission to Russia - Rachael wrote him about every month and a half, just as an "interested" friend. Rachael was at home working for the summer when David returned from his mission and immediately felt that she wanted to date him again, so she asked him to go see the Phantom of the Opera in Salt lake City; thereafter followed about six months of courtship before they were married in Logan, Utah. Now they're both "the luckiest."