The Dance

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"Do you trust me?"

She could hear the smile in his voice without seeing it. His tone was mostly calm, yet peaked with minor fragments of excitement and thrill. She returned the expression that she heard on his face. 

Giggling, she responded, "Yes! Of course I trust you!"

Her fingers played with the soft fabric that covered her eyes as she attempted a peek at his face, but they were intercepted by his own hands grasping hers. 

"Ah, ah, ah, ah! No peeking! You said you trusted me..." His voice still filled with mirth.

She released a fast sigh and chuckled. "Alright, fair enough! I trust you. The bandana can stay."

"Wonderful. Now follow my lead."

"Your le-" Her question was cut off by the soft sound of music. A tempo so smooth that her body instinctively responded in sway. His hands, once wrapped around her own, soon wrapped one around her waist the other held hers captive in mid-air. Their bodies almost touching in simple turns following each measure. 

Everything felt happy and safe, dancing there within his arms. She still wore her blindfold, but it didn't matter. She was with him and she knew he wouldn't lead her in any way that would bring her harm. Their exhales left in unison as their feet followed the cadence. She had never felt so connected with someone; so in-tune.

A gentle breeze played across her cheek and she allowed room for the distraction. Tilting her head back, she listened to its melodic laugh. The tune of the wind quieting all else. She stumbled. Her feet fell out of rhythm with the dance. She began to fall backwards, hands groping for anything stable. She tried to prepare her mind for the impending impact, but it was too sudden. Without her sight she had no idea how far away the ground was and no way of knowing what was truly beneath her. Would soft grass break her fall or would firm concrete greet her crumpling form? She couldn't even bring a scream from her lungs. She lost all recollection of the harmony from moments before.

Though feeling like the fall would never end, strong arms soon righted her. It took her a second to regain her breath. His hand grasped hers again and tentatively she squeezed in response. She was shaken. His capable muscles steadied her trembling ones as they stood, perfectly still.  

"Do you trust me?" His steady voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned her face toward his sound; her mind acutely aware of her lack of sight. "I..."

He stood, muscles firm. Calmly, evenly, He asked again, "Do you trust me?"

"I..." Her breath shook. "Yes. Yes, of course I trust you!" She made her voice sound convincing and happy, hoping he would accept that; not sure who she was actually trying to convince.

She couldn't see his expression. She had no way of knowing whether he believed that answer or not; but he resumed the position and commenced swaying to the music once more. She tried to make her feet move. She really did. They just didn't want to go. Fear built up within her. She couldn't pull her mind away from almost falling. Even the feel of it was still echoing in her stomach. 

Pull yourself together. Her mind scolded her. For appearance's sake, she forced her feet to move. Was she doing it correctly? Probably not. But at least she was moving. As least, if anyone saw them, at least she was moving and appeared to be fine. Outward appearance; that's all that counts, after-all. 

But her mind couldn't focus. Her thoughts were a thousand miles away in a million scattered directions. Oh, how she wished she could see! If only she knew what her surroundings were. If only she could tell the time of day. If only she could count the number of onlookers ogling them. What might they be thinking? Surely she looked a sight.

His feet turned in the opposite direction beneath hers and suddenly she stumbled- feet stepping on feet. She hadn't anticipated that spin. In fact, she almost forgot what was going on entirely; getting so caught up in her own focus. She felt self-conscious. Where had the awe of being in his arms gone? When had her thoughts become so distracted that she totally neglected the man whose heart beat against her chest? But wait...

His heartbeat *wasn't* beating against her chest any longer. She still wore her blindfold, but instantly she became aware of the distance between their bodies. How must that look? Two people dancing a slow-dance so far apart; what a sight that must be! She tried to pull herself closer, but the awkwardness of their steps wouldn't allow for it. She still hadn't fallen back into rhythm with him. 

Maybe things would go smoother for us if  he would let me lead for a while. Now her thoughts were making more sense. 

Before she could verbalize her thoughts, his voice spoke gently in her ear, "Do you trust me?"

A stabbing feeling hit her chest. Was that guilt? No, no, it couldn't be. Feigning to have not heard him, she asked "What was that you said?" 

"Do you trust me?" Crisp. Clear. Unmistakable.

Looking away, she mumble affirmation. She heard music. The same song had been playing since they had first started dancing. The same stinkin' song. Her thoughts began to drift again. Mind wandering, she became aware that the breeze had returned. She recalled the thrill of it dancing across her cheek. She remembered how it played with the small wisps of hair above her ears. Chuckling at the thought, she tilted her head toward its warmth.

Warmth? The last breeze was cool and invigorating, not warm. Honing in on the intensity of the air, she soon realized that this so-called breeze wasn't warm either. It was downright hot! Like, really hot! It burned her cheeks as it flashed against them. She attempted to turn her head away, but it made no difference. Stinging sensations smashed into her exposed ankle. Imagine flaming embers meeting skin, that's what it felt like- over and over and over again. Any outward appearance of adeptness at dance fled. Now her sole focus was on this nightmare she was being forced to navigate. 

The wind grew more fierce; slapping across her face and throwing itself upwards toward her eyes. The force of it so strong that it lifted her blindfold up an inch or so. She could see! But, oh, how she wished it wasn't so. The blindfold was lifted in such a way so as to not allow her to see forward or around, only below; and below turned out to be the last place she wanted to see. Eyes now opened to her surroundings, partial though it be, she saw two sets of feet- hers and his- precariously balanced on a narrow, wooden beam. Beneath the beam flowed a red, fiery liquid aggressively bubbling and splashing about itself. Only a mere few inches separated their bare feet from that river of impending boil. 

And to think we have been spinning and dancing atop this! Terror grew within her gut. She felt it rising until it reached her throat and cut off her ability to swallow.

Heart racing. Sweat pouring. Breaths shallow.

A sense of panic bubbled up within her so violently that she nearly fell to her knees from the weight of it. Desperation. She had never felt such desperation. A scream formed within her lungs and burst forth sounding more like an infant's cry. Her entire being shook.

Suddenly, a weakness such that she had never before felt so strongly overtook her. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't muster a way to end this nightmare on her own. She hung her head in defeat.

"Do you trust me?" His perfectly calm voice rang out as if a waterfall in the desert. It was then that she felt his arms still holding her. Not once, she realized, through all her panic, had he so much as loosened his grip. 

"Do you trust me?" He asked again, just as patient as if the very first time. He stood perfectly still, not even a sway jarred his frame. He simply stood there, holding her, waiting for her response. 

She thought back through every moment since this dance had begun. She recalled his closeness, how she missed that. She recalled how perfectly their hearts beat in unison and how good it felt to have his arms around her. She remembered dancing so flawlessly, without even forcing it; just he and her focused on each other and flowing perfectly.  What happened to us? 

A breeze. Her mind flitted to the moment that distraction. The moment everything fell apart...

There it was. Ever so simple. Right in obvious view. 

She had allowed a simple distraction to destroy everything. A breeze, a stumble, the desire to keep up appearances, the blatant neglect of him. This mess, this nightmare was all her. The instant she took her focus off of him was the instant that everything fell apart. She wept.

Strong arms pulled her close until their bodies touched once again. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." Was her response. She felt that "yes" to her very core. Laying her head down on his shoulder, she whispered for only him to hear, "Yes, I trust you. Yes, with my everything."

The peace from their very first moment together returned. The knowledge of her circumstances didn't diminish, but her terror over it did. She lost herself in the awe of having him close again. She relished in the peace that came with being in his arms. The music continued, her mind no longer blocking it out, and they began to sway and twirl once more. She didn't even pay any mind to being on that beam. She gave no focus to their feet as they spun. She only lost herself in him and found a peace so surreal. Come what may, she trusted him. She trusted him...

If your walk with Christ was a dance... Do you trust him?