You’ve probably heard the phrase, “I just need some room to breathe.” The implication is that there is so much going on in life right now, I just need a little space. It’s the life equivalent of being at the dinner table and realizing you ate too much. You just need to loosen the belt and get a little more “room to breathe.”
Having been at the beach with my family last week, vacation is always a great chance to “breathe” a little in life. There is something about taking a deep breath on vacation. It just feels deeper than normal and you are hopefully able to relax that much more.
When I was in college, Christian music began to take off in the direction of praise and worship music. Radio stations like K-Love and 106.9 the Light were around, but not nearly as popular as they are today. Contemporary Christian music was just beginning to pick up its pace. There was a popular praise and worship song that you might have heard a few years back. Michael W. Smith sang the most popular version of the song entitled, “Breathe.” The main lyrics were:
This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I, I’m desperate for you
And I, I’m lost without you
Why is it that we can’t seem to breathe in day-to-day life like we do on vacation? Now, I recognize the obvious answer to that. Life has stresses; day-to-day routines, jobs, kids, grandkids, etc. add to schedule and the chaos. But what if…what if…we made more time to breathe in God? When was the last time we rearranged a schedule or changed up our daily routine for the sole purpose of spending more time with Jesus?
A deep breath in the Lord is more cleansing, fulfilling, and life giving than anything else we could think to do in this life. Let’s all take time this week to breathe.
Prayer: God, help us create space to breathe and take deep breaths in you. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Grace and peace,
Aaron
pastoraaronhinton@gmail.com
(704) 300-0081