One thing that I love about dancing is how readily the physical translates to the psychological and the spiritual. One such concept that I have been contemplating about recently is the difference between rigidity and integrity.
As I have mentioned else where, a key part to partner dancing is maintaining your own frame, and to have your partner maintain her frame. This is true in ballroom, swing, tango, and salsa dancing. Since most people don't have a very good frame in day to day life, when they hear that they are suppose to have a good frame, they just tense up and become rigid. This is especially true for men. The command brings out the incredible hulk in us. And rigidity does not help. It is like dancing with Frankenstein. It is like dancing with a refrigerator. And more often than not, the rigid person ends up yanking and jerking the other person around. A common injury for beginner followers is rotator cuff injury. A good teacher teaches defensive maneuvering skills for the women early on.
One thing that frustrates me to no end in my walk with God is when Christians (myself included!) confuse rigidity for integrity. Do this. Do that. And ironically, the worst offenders are christians who are so focus on the importance of grace that they forget how incongruent their delivery is compare to their message. A challenge for christians is not in how to talk or teach about grace, but to let grace embodies us and flows through and out of us. Otherwise, it is no surprise that people want to take a few steps back when well meaning but rigid christians invite them to the dance of God.
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