Who is still following their new year's resolutions? The question we all want to run and hide from, right?! Well, back in January, I sat down with our Company and Trainee members. During this time I challenged them to come up with one word that they wanted to display as our leaders for 2022. What a holy time. They sat in a circle and came up with several goals and dreams for the year. After an hour of white boarding we came up with our one word goal.
STRENGTH
Strength: The capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure; The quality or state of being physically strong.
Oh how my "second mommy" heart was so proud! Being with these girls eight to fifteen hours every week makes us more than a dance team. It makes us a family. So I just HAD to share their dream, prayer, and vision for the year with you.
So, let's break it down! We looked at all of our areas in life that we wanted to strengthen.
1. TALENT: "A strong passion to worship!"
2. WALK WITH THE LORD: "Strong in our faith."
3. TEAM: "Strong, unbreakable bonds with each other."
Exodus 15:2-3 "The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name."
These girls are working together towards representing God's Kingdom in a strong manner. This is something that sends the devil into shock and we are aware of this. SO, we are being reminded and holding onto the truth God has placed in our hands.
We see truth in Exodus 14 where God splits the sea while the Israelites are running away from the Egyptians. While reading this scripture this week I noticed lines that I have never really noticed before. So many times God kept saying, "I am going to harden Pharaoh's heart, he will come after you, but then I will get the glory when I defeat them." It was like God was JUMPING off the page at me! He was telling Moses to expect opposition from the enemy simply because God wanted to receive the glory. It made me think of all the times we gripe and complain when the enemy attacks. When God is doing it to receive honor.
BUT it is not only God who sees a positive outcome from attacks. He shows us how faithful He is to take care of us. Throughout this story in Exodus, God parts an OCEAN and then drowns the enemy in it. He took care of His people, fought for them, and then defeated their enemy. While receiving all the glory because His people let Him fight for them.
Exodus 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
STRENGTH. God promises to give it to us when we put our faith and trust in Him. I am so proud of our Company, our leaders. They have chosen to seek strength from God and allow Him to fight for them. We stand strong as a ballet studio. We believe we were created to be a city on a hill that glorifies Jesus. Join with us as we pray for STRENGTH. Pray that the Lord protects all of our girls and fights for them. For you as mom, the Lord wants to fight for you. Just sit back, trust Him, and be still while He protects you and gets the glory! Opposition is not always a bad thing ;) It may mean, you are doing something right for the Kingdom and the devil just cannot stand it. And God is ready to strengthen you through the battle!
Xoxo, Miss Ansleigh