I Hope You Dance

4 years.

1,460 days.

2,102,400 minutes.

140,000,000 heartbeats.

That's how long it has taken me to gather my courage, conjure my confidence, and find the words I am writing here on this tiny corner of the Internet.

But before I expand on this topic and officially take the plunge into the deep blue sea of fashionistas and food junkies, let me personally say, welcome to Rooted & Radiant! (I promise that I will dive into the meaning behind this name at a later time because it really makes my heart sing but for now..) Thank you for supporting my passion, and spending a few of your minutes and a few of your heartbeats reading these things from my heart. Really, it means the whole world to this girl.

Okay, back to it!

"You should go for it," were among the words my husband spoke when I unleashed my list of dreams and wishes over dinner last month. I'm not so sure that he knows, and definitely would never take credit for it, that through the five words he provided in response, existed the bit of courage and confidence needed to make me vacate my chair at our kitchen table and dance. You see, I've written many "first blog" posts throughout the duration of the last 4 years, as I searched for something extravagant and thought-provoking to tell the world. But where they were written, among the lists of baby names and unimportant passwords in my Notes app, were where they remained. I have spent more days justifying why I should not pursue this passion and more time waiting for some sort of worldly permission or reason to share my heart with someone than I would like to admit. But what consistently accompanied my every attempt, was me squashing, wrecking, and 'what-if-I-fail'ing this inkling I have in my heart to write.

It wasn't until that evening in late September that I discovered that even when I have zero faith in my ability, that when my husband, another perfectly imperfect human that has beliefs and feelings that I value, said that he believed in me, he saw the potential in me, it was all that it took to lead me here. It was this casual, kitchen-table conversation that prompted my prayer for clarity and confidence as I planned my strategy to chase down my long dreamt dream. (I am no stranger to the understanding that wherever God is, is good, and where He is not, is not. So, I definitely wanted to make sure He would show up in approval here!) As I spent the last couple of weeks praying over this space, I kept a ready ear as I waited for a ground-breaking word from the Holy Spirit, but where it sent me was seemingly so meaningless, I was nearly convinced that Rooted & Radiant would remain the pipe dream it has always been.

Lee Ann Womack.

Yep, that's right, the poetic tune by Lee Ann Womack was the word that the Holy Spirit sent to me. (Sorta comical, I know, but I truly believe that the Holy Spirit will use whatever He can to touch your heart in a way He knows you will listen!) The song clung to in the innermost being of my conscious and subconscious for days before I recognized that it was, absolutely, no coincidence that this melody that I had not heard in many many years was the song that I hummed on my drive to work and sang as I folded our laundry. In a single moment, I became enlightened, and I, at last, heard the response that the Holy Spirit had for me: "My precious Daughter, I hope you dance."

So, here I am. An ordinary, messy, imperfect me, deciding to dance.

Through this journey to right here, I have learned that living your life in a posture of dreaming is pretty, but living your life in a posture of doing is brilliantly bold and beautiful. I mean what kind of hideous hypocrite am I to insist that my friends ab-so-lute-ly (and yes, this is how I say it) chase down their wildest, grandest dreams, while I sit it out and just dream about mine? So today I am stepping out in courage after 4 years of simply dismantling where (I now know) the Lord and my heart desired to send me. I am creating this special little space to talk about the real, scary, wonderful, messy, beautiful things of life. Here I will keep it real, keep it encouraging, and (hopefully) keep it interesting. You may have noticed that I have categorized my blog as "a Christ-focused lifestyle blog," because quite literally I wouldn't have a 'lifestyle' if I didn't have Christ and the undeserved grace He shows me every single day. My hope is that every time you leave Rooted & Radiant you are encouraged in your ability, but especially in your faith.

I don't know your story. I don't know who or what has disheartened, dampened, or discouraged your spirit to do the things you've always dreamed of. I don't know if you have a single someone in your corner or many many cheerleaders on your sidelines, but what I do know is that sometimes all that it takes is another perfectly imperfect human that has beliefs and feelings that you value, to say that they believe in you, they see the potential in you, for you to actually believe it.

If you haven't heard it today, I believe in you, I see potential in you, and more than anything, when you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you always dance.

"You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever!"

- Psalm 30:11-12