by RTF Assistant Editor Halee Matthews

They try to wrap their fingers
Around my very soul,
Drag me down into the depths,
A deep, dark, bottomless hole,
From which there is no return.

They assail me from all sides,
Fear and worry and doubt,
Trying hard to trap me in,
Make me think there’s no way out.
But there is a way, I know.

So I will dance on my troubles,
Because I know I must.
I will dance on my worries,
Trample them into dust.
I’ll raise my hands, praise my God,
No more doubt, only trust.
And I’ll dance my way across this life.
I will dance, and I will dance.

***

I wrote this poem when I was faced with a lot of uncertainty about my future. In my frustration, I wanted to worry. I wanted to think of every possibility and have a plan for each one, because that’s how I deal with an uncertain future: I plan. But in this case, I couldn’t really plan. All I could do was wait.

I was so tempted to fear, to doubt, and so I did what I always do when life is trying to drag me down: I danced. I put on my favorite music and danced away the fear, the worry, the anxiety. I took all the energy that was pulling me toward worry and used it to praise God instead.

In many ways, I’m still in that place of uncertainty. A lot about my future is yet to be determined. But I can practically feel those doubts under my feet. I trampled the life out of them, and I plan to keep dancing and trusting for the rest of my days.

Care to join me?