Breath

Breath is one of those things we typically take for granted. We wake up every morning breathing and sometimes even taking a deep breath before we get out of bed and we start our day. We never really think for a minute that another breath won't come. Breath is just one of those things we go through our day using, but never really thinking about. At least I didn't... until recently.

I recently watched a Rob Bell video on breath and I've been thinking about breath more often ever since. I love the scripture in Genesis 2 that says "then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Rob Bell talks about how every breath we take is God's breath. I know that God breathed life into us, but I had never thought about God literally being there in my every breath; or every breath I take being the breath of God.

Wow! To think about breath in those terms puts a whole new perspective on taking a breath. With every breath I take, God is there. Every breath I take is a breath from God.....is God's breath. With every deep breath I take in frustration or exhaustion, God is there, breathing new life into me. It has made me think about those everyday breaths in such a different way.

It also makes you think about what you are doing with every breath you take. Because with every breath you take you are breathing God's breath. How are we using the breath God is filling us with? Are we using it to speak kind words of love or are we using it to speak words of anger and condemnation? Are we using God's breath to build someone up or to tear someone down? Are we using God's breath to serve others or are we hoarding God's breath and keeping it only to ourselves.

Yesterday we were able to be a part of a trunk or treat event at local school. We were there helping faculty and parents of that school host a trunk or treat in their local neighborhood. We didn't do it in the name of our church, we did it in the name of God. What a blessing it was not only to those who were there for the candy, but what an even greater blessing it was to those of us who served. It's always such a great blessing to give to others. I would like to think that while we were being blessed by an opportunity to serve others, we were able to breathe at least a little bit of God's breath into the lives of the children and families we were able to serve.

There are many definitions of the word breath, but there were 2 that stood out to me. One is life; vitality. Another one is a trivial circumstance. It is interesting to me that one word can mean to completely different things. One means everything, the other is as if it doesn't matter. Breath matters, without breath there is no life. God is life! There is nothing trivial about it!

God created us to be living, breathing beings. If we aren't living and breathing for Him and being aware of His every breath in us, are we living life the way we were created to live it? My prayer is that I will look for more opportunities to use God's breath for others and not hold on to it for myself.

Praise the LORD
Praise God in his sanctuary
praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with the resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.

Psalm 150

Blessings!