Breathe Deeply

Genesis 2:7—And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The very ability to breathe is a gift from God—in fact, it is the first gift He gave to man and in so giving He created life.  We ought to cherish each breath we take, but we so often take our breaths for granted.  They are reflexive after all—we don’t even have to think about breathing because we just do it.  If we take a moment to pause and focus on our breath, though, we begin to see life from a new perspective and we can even spark change in our lives by simply focusing on our breath.  For example, if we are feeling angry and we take a few deep breaths we can infuse our bodies with peace and calm.  If we are feeling sad and crying, regulating our breath can help to calm us down.  Deep breaths can also refresh us and make us feel more alert.  When we stop to honor our breath we are simultaneously honoring God by showing reverence to the first gift He gave to us. In developing a more intimate relationship with God, we ought to cultivate a practice of deep, measured, and rhythmic breathing to tune our spirits with His.

Today as you meditate on His Word, listen to your breath and practice breathing in deeply and slowly until your whole body fills up.  Then release that breath completely.  Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your breath and make His presence known with every breath you take.  Envision God breathing life into you with each breath, just like He did at the very start of creation.  Praise God for blessing you with the gift of breath and pledge to honor His gift every moment of each day.