Just breathe – we say that to each other a lot don’t we? Some days more than others. A friend of mine has an alert on her phone that prompts her to breathe. It seems silly but we need the reminder because this life can be difficult and we hold our breath often as we wait for resolve. And resolve can be a long way away so holding our breath can be torturous – we stop living and exist in the space of waiting until…
until it’s over…
until this passes…
until it’s finished…
Don’t hold your breath!
Breathe deeply and feel peace flood your soul as fresh breath enters weary, tired lungs.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray He began His prayer with “Our Father who art in heaven.” In Jewish cosmology the word “heaven” in the context of that sentence actually referred to “the air I breathe in.” So imagine for moment the air around you, the air you breathe in, filled with the Father’s presence and take Him into every cell of your body. Feel His holy presence invade you as He offers Himself, a gift in the air you breathe. Breathe deeply!
God is the source of life, the breath of life and when we still ourselves and breathe, simply breathe, we reconnect with our Creator. Just be and breathe.
We do not need to perform, to busy ourselves doing.
This is so hard, we have been wired to believe that we must “do” to meet our needs, to please our God, to be okay. He is not interested in our circus act performing for His approval. More than anything He wants to sit with you and just enjoy the quiet together.
Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.
As we still and take a deep breath we reconnect with the Creator – the one who gave us breath at the beginning of it all. There are a million ways God could have brought Adam to life on the 6th day of creation – He could have spoken with a word like He did the sun and moon, He could have allowed Him to wrestle himself out of a cocoon, He could have looked at him, danced over him, played a harp to wake him up, called out to him, kicked him in the tail to jolt him to life…millions of ways but God chose intimacy. He chose the intimate act of being up close and personal as He cupped Adam’s face in His hands and breathed into Adam’s nostrils.
So here’s the secret…intimacy with your Heavenly Father can be found in the simple act of breathing. Is reading your Bible good? Yes! Is praying good? Yes! Is attending church service good? Yes! Is worshipping good? Yes! Yes! Yes! But the most intimate act of communion can be found in the uncomplicated act of simply breathing. Still your mind, quiet your heart, let all else fade into the background as you focus on breath and invite holy presence.
You are a human being not human doing. At the very center of being is breath – it is the source of life that provides a fresh supply of oxygen for every cell in your body. On average humans breathe about 12-20 times per minute. Over the course of a day, that adds up to 17,000-30,000 breaths per day or more!
Isn’t it just like God to give us an easy reminder of His desire for intimacy with us?! As He drew close to Adam in the Garden of Eden to bring life to mud cells I imagine Him thinking about the mechanics of our bodies and how they would operate – 17,000-30,000 breaths per day – each holding the reminder of this intimate moment when He chose to give us life and be in relationship with us.
Intimacy with the Father remembered in the rise and fall of your chest…
over and over and over and over!
Yes, intimacy is that easy, it’s just a breath away!
–He whispers because He is close–