I Surrender to You . . .

I dedicate this post to all who are struggling to let go of things in their lives that are holding them back and keeping them down.

I also dedicate it to all who struggle to start (or continue) both the inner and outer work of healing, be it from addiction, trauma, any and all forms of abuse, false expectations, the effects of poor choices, past mistakes that haunt and debilitate, and/or the scourge of low self-esteem.

May strength, peace, and healing flow from this post to all who need them.

. . . My heart is so open,
and my soul is out there
in the most vulnerable state,
so true and so pure.

I give myself to you, sweating my tears
and offering my wounds for you to heal.

My Beloved, I am all ready for you,
body and soul, past and present,
accepting your transforming love
and embracing it.

Song “Ya Malikan” written and performed by Midist/Wasim. Dance choreographed and performed by Ahmad Joudeh.

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Sweet Surrender
• The Art of Surrender
• Love as Exploring Vulnerability
• Jesus and the Art of Letting Go
• Resting in the Presence of the Beloved
• The Longing for Love: God’s Primal Beatitude
• The Holy Pleasure of Intimacy
• In the Garden of Spirituality – Diarmuid Ó Murchú
• Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri
• The Purpose of Art
• Art and Resistance
• The Potential of Art and the Limits of Orthodoxy to Connect Us to the Sacred
• The Premise of All Forms of Dance
• The Art of Dancing as the Supreme Symbol of the Spiritual Life
• Not Whether We Dance, But How
• The Dancer and the Dance
• The Soul of a Dancer
• Ahmad Joudeh: Dancing for Peace

Related Off-site Links:
Ahmad Joudeh’s Official Website.
“Dance or Die”: Stateless Syrian Ballet Dancer Ahmad Joudeh Shines on Stage – Nazeeha Saeed (The New Arab, May 12, 2023).
Ahmad Joudeh, Stateless Refugee and Dancer, Finds Hope, Home and Success in Ballet – PR Newswire (September 23, 2021).
“Dance Is My Passport”: Syrian Ballet Dancer Ahmad Joudeh on Dancing as Home – Sven Töniges (DW, April 29, 2019).
This Syrian Refugee Is Using Dance to Defy Terrorism – Katherine Beard (Dance Magazine, July 30, 2017).
“It’s Dance or Die”: The Ballet Dancer Forbidden to Perform by Islamic State – Renate van der Zee (The Guardian, March 13, 2017).

Opening image: Michael J. Bayly.