Callie Mitchell, SAVED News International Correspondent; Jerusalem, Israel — With great joy I write to you all this month! Lord has blessed me richly by restoring some of the desires of my heart, just in time for the feast of Shavuot, or Pentecost!
As a child and high school student, I danced at Artistic Dance Academy in Goldsboro, NC. Being a dancer was one of my greatest passions. Sadly, as my family walked through a series of tragedies while I was in high school, it made sense for us to be less busy, and my ballet lessons drew to a close.
God is so good, to not only redeem sin on the cross, but also to heal places of deep wounding. Quitting ballet left behind a great pain that He brought to my attention as I walked through the difficult season of dealing with Cushing’s Disease. Perhaps because my body seemed to be falling apart, so often I found myself pleading with Him to make me a dancer again! Shortly after my surgery, I could hear him whisper, “Its time.” And finally, He has granted the opportunity to dance at an International Christian Conference celebrating the feast of Shavuot!
And friends, it has been a hard few days! I have been stretched, dealing with self-consciousness and personal disappointments about being out of dance shape, and anxieties about adding another challenge to a daily life that is already challenging! It has seriously required all of me, and the support of so many others to help this happen.
During my quiet time (on the bus) the morning after our first rehearsal, I read through Romans 5 and paused on well-known verses 3-5 about how suffering produces endurance, then character, and then hope. That passage has sustained me through this weak of rehearsals. As the Lord has been digging ancient wells, and tilling hard soil, in order to bring about this gift, it has required tremendous humility, and humility is a form of suffering. To partner with the Holy Spirit in this pioneering work, I have had to endure and press toward the goal, at times when it would have been easier to just give up.
At the first performance, while we danced before an audience of believers who had gathered from all over the world, with Paul Wilbur singing live on stage; the Lord flooded my heart with the most peaceful joy. For believers in Messiah Yeshua, the feast of Shavuot is to celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit, who fell as fire in Acts 2. This restoration has been a Baptism of Fire of a different sort: a slow burning, with a flame I could have blown out if I had decided to quit. While writing this, I am a few days away from the final performance, and asking the Lord to fan into flame this slow burning, so that I might be fully consumed! With my whole heart, I hope this effort will overflow and bring many of you to dance in the City of David!
About The Author
