The Beautiful Backstage

I took ballet lessons for years.

I liked ballet, but what I loved was the feeling of being backstage during a ballet performance. Have you ever been there? It’s one of the most magical settings I’ve ever experienced.

It’s as dark as a cave. A ballet teacher stands at the edge of a black curtain, her posture perfect as she silently signals a glittering line of dancers. The dancers inch closer to the curtain as they whisper to each other, trying to remember all the dance steps. Someone is re-pinning a fallen feather headpiece into her friend’s hair as the music swells. People dressed in black from head to toe rush back and forth, pushing a velvet couch, a tree, a shimmering carriage. Every object glides noiselessly across the floor. Someone giggles and someone else says, “Shhh!”

Everything sparkles.

Backstage is a busy, beautiful world of which the audience knows very little. Like a quiet pond with all kinds of life swirling below. Or a simple clock face with elaborate gears turning circles underneath.

The audience sees so little of the story.

Sometimes it’s easy for me to notice the evidence of God at work in my life. But I only see what makes it onstage. Surely there is a glittering, backstage that I know little about. If I could draw back the curtain, I would see God moving the set—leading, comforting, quieting.

Blessings to you today as you trust His good work.

~Amy