Breathe

At the beginning of each new year, rather than create unrealistic resolutions for myself I prefer to chose a word to live by. Then, I post the word, along with quotes and scriptures that relate, in places I will see often. My word for this year is 'breathe'.

I've found that these definitions of the word spoke to me the most:

1. to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire. I am always reminding people to, “Take a deep breath… now, don’t forget to exhale!” I need the daily reminder that God is a BIG God! Breathe in and breathe out. God is good; all of the time! Breathe in and breathe out. He is powerful so fear not (Exodus 9:16 & Matt 10:31)! I can trust that He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8, Psalm 28:7). Breathe in and breathe out. In a world full of turmoil, I can hold onto the hope He brings (Rom 5:1-2)! Sigh, that’s the kind of truth I need to take in, every moment, like the air I breathe!

2. to pause, as for breath; take rest: How about giving me a chance to breathe? I've been reflecting on ways I can pause, as well as balance my time wisely. That being said, I took inventory of my time and I realized some things needed to go. In order to grow and mature, I’ll need to prune (John 15:1-17) to make room to reach out and build relationships. Although, I love those things which have preoccupied my time, I had to ask myself a question: Is my time being spent wisely? Are my talents being used to glorify Him and am I furthering His kingdom (Matt 25:14-20)? Figuratively speaking, what am I doing with the plot of land He has given me? I recently read an article by author Don Miller and the following really hit home:

"A farmer farms a field, and if he misses a week of work, everything falls apart. If the seeds aren’t in the ground when the rain comes, the crops don’t grow. Our faith is not about magic, it’s about partnering with God to see remarkable things happen through faithfulness and consistency over a long-period of time. If we buy into the instant-results mindset of our culture (that is depressed and confused itself) we will become very frustrated with God. God has a system for growing food. If one farmer does no work, but prays and sings to God, and another farmer does work, and does not pray or sing to God, then the farmer who prayed will starve and the farmer who worked will eat, because even though the second farmer didn’t acknowledge God, he understood God’s ways and he adhered to the principles God created. The first farmer was just looking for a magic show."

3. to live; exist: Hardly a man breathes who has not known great sorrow. God gives me life with each breath. I remember when my brother-in-law, Dave, had lung surgery and he described how difficult it was to take in a single breath. It is something we take for granted each day. Our family has been listening to the Focus On The Family’s radio theater production of The Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve been fascinated by the imagery of Aslan breathing life into the beasts in The Magician’s Nephew. Genesis 2:7 says, “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. (Gen 2:7)” In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Aslan breathes onto the prisoners to release them from the stone statue curse that the White Witch had on them. C.S. Lewis paints beautiful imagery through his words and these stories have given me new insight into how creative and magnificent God is. Yes. He is.

“Who are you?” asked Shasta.


“Myself,” said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again “Myself,” loud and clear and gay: and then the third time “Myself,” whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.


Shasta was no longer afraid that the Voice belonged to something that would eat him, nor that it was the voice of a ghost. But a new and different sort of trembling came over him. Yet he felt glad too…

But after one glance at the Lion’s face he slipped out of the saddle and fell at its feet. He couldn’t say anything but then he didn’t want to say anything, and he knew he needn’t say anything.

The High King above all kings stooped towards him. Its mane, and some strange and solemn perfume that hung about the mane, was all around him. It touched his forehead with its tongue. He lifted his face and their eyes met. Then instantly the pale brightness of the mist and the fiery brightness of the Lion rolled themselves together into a swirling glory and gathered themselves up and disappeared. He was alone with the horse on a grassy hillside under a blue sky. And there were birds singing.”

- excerpt from The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Not only does God give us the air to breathe, he heals and restores. Many times I have rejoiced because He alone gave me grace to survive through trials in life. Breathe in and breathe out. He is there, as close as the air we breathe.

Written by Rebecca Grinder