the girl dancing on ice

I’ve always been fascinated by people who can skate on ice. It’s one of the reasons I love watching the Winter Olympics so much. I’ve tried many times myself, but I always end up clinging to the rails. The way skaters move with the music — graceful, elegant, almost weightless — is beautiful to watch.

On April 1st, 2023, I was in Pasadena, California on a mission trip with a group serving at a house of prayer. That day, I was helping bring people into the prophecy rooms to receive prayer. After everyone had their turn, the leader looked at me and said, “Now it’s your turn.”

Those were the last words I expected to hear. I even responded, “Huh? Me?” I was there simply to serve and wasn’t expecting anything in return.

I walked into the room where some of my friends were gathered. As they prayed over me, one man said, “I see you dancing on ice with Jesus.”

Those words still echo inside of me, even three years later.

The past few years have been some of the hardest seasons of transition and healing in my life. Healing is a continuous process; the deeper you go, the more you realize how much healing is still needed. Somewhere along the way, I recognized a pattern in myself — a mindset that always expects the worst, believing that if disappointment comes, it won’t hurt as much.

But now I want to take a step back and look at this from another perspective, because faith and science work hand in hand. When we understand how our minds and bodies operate, we realize healing is not only spiritual, but biological too.

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections through experiences, learning, and healing. Not only can the brain create new pathways, but it can also strengthen existing ones. When Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” I cannot help but think about these neural pathways.

Renewing your mind is, in many ways, rewiring those connections — weakening the thought patterns built out of fear and strengthening ones rooted in truth.

When you live with a negative mindset, hope becomes difficult to hold onto. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Constant disappointment, fear, and self-protection can leave you numb and passive. But through all of this, I’ve realized how deeply I need my mind renewed — washed by the truth of God’s Word.

Not only to tear down old thoughts, but to build new ones. New pathways. Pathways that lead to hope.

Back in that room, the man continued praying and said:

“You are on ice, and ice is meant to be slippery. It’s hard when you fall. But this ice is becoming your canvas. The ice is frozen — it will not crack beneath you.”

I have carried those words with me ever since.

And maybe this word is for someone reading this too. Whether you struggle with negativity, fear, anxiety, or simply the feeling that everything good in your life might fall apart — remember this:

You are dancing with Him.

He will catch you.

I am the girl dancing on ice, still afraid it could all fall through. But I have to continually remind myself that I am not dancing alone.

So pick up the skates.

And dance with Him.