Breathe !

My Mom has told me stories of when I was a little girl fighting an asthma attack. She would sit by my bedside and will me to "Breathe." I can imagine she would whisper "Breathe" over and over, watching carefully my little chest as it struggled to take in the air I needed to live. Now that I have been a Mom, I can imagine the terror it would bring to her as she waited those eternal seconds before another breath would fill my lungs. How many long nights did she sit watching? I don't know, but one would be enough.



Anyone who has sat near a loved ones bedside as they made their last few breaths before leaving this life behind, can also attest to the desire to be able to will them the next breath. There are times, however, when the desire is for it all to be over. for the next breath to be the last so the pain and agony would be finished.



I have felt the desire to stop the breathing. I was again attacked by asthma as an adult after many years of freedom from its torture. I waited impatiently for the doctor and silently prayed for the end of breathing because it hurt so much. I am glad that I did not succomb, but I know the feeling of wanting to give up the pain for peace.



I wonder if Jesus wanted the pain to stop as He struggled to breathe on the cross. Did He have to suffer a certain amount of time in order for the sacrifice to be accomplished? Could He have given up the Spirit sooner to stop the pain? Would He?



The torture of gasping for breath on the cross must have seemed far longer for Jesus than the three hours He suffered. Even from the cross, Jesus had things to say and work to do for the people He loves. He needed to forgive, provide, love and finish the work He was meant to do. Because of that, He continued to breathe. How many breaths did He struggle to take in those last hours? Each one was a precious gift to us, as precious as the first breath He took as a tiny baby from heaven. His life was lived so that He could die the holy sacrifice for our sins, for my sins.



Holy Jesus, Sacrificial Lamb of God, Your every breath on this earth was a gift to the entire world. Your life was lived with the purpose of loving mankind. Thank You for making it possible for me to believe in You. Forgive me when I forget that Your need for air and water and food, was all for my good. Help me to use my need for air,water and food for Your glory, Lord, it is the least I can do.

The Best Me

I believe that the best God can give us is Himself. I also believe that to become the best of what I can be, means that I am to be part of Him.

God breathed His life into man. Life is a mysterious word, isn't it? We know some things about it, but we cannot capture it at its essence. Our bodies live, but our bodies are not life itself. Life continues long after the body dies. Life is in the blood according to God's word, but the blood itself is not life. God is life! He breathed Himself into our physical bodies, and He gives spiritual life to us by breathing the Holy Spirit into us.

This does not make us God or gods. We are simply vessels used for His glory.

The best me I can be is the me that is filled with the life of God. My tiny part in the Body of Christ is to be the best tiny part of God that He made me to be!

My good character qualities are the life of God seen through me. Gods' character is emmence and must certainly be seen through billions of beings who have His life breathed into them. Like the kalideoscope we are the tiny shards that allow His light to shine through us. We can be translucent or opaque by our choices. The best me is transparently revealing God to the world.

Breath of Heaven, You are also the light of the world! You are the life essence we cannot see but we can know. Our minds cannot comprehend Your thought or the emmence nature of Your holiness. Thank You for giving us, Your creation, a part of Your life to share with the world. Thank You for the breath that gives me eternal life. I want to be continually filled with every breath You take! Fill me and let Your glory be known!

Breathing in the New

Life begins with a birth process and ends with an eternal birth process. Both are a death to a previous life and an entrance into a new existence! Both involve a struggle to break free from the bounds that hold us back from the next step in the process of giving God Glory.

There are times when the birth process into eternity comes way too soon. Some find the process quick and others find the process a long and tedious labor. Those who watch and wait may find the process an emotionally draining event. There is a mixture of joy, wonder, fear, sadness and heartache. There may be a deepening of faith or a new found faith in walking through these shadows.

Our natural birth is marked by the taking of a breath. Our birth into the eternal is marked with the expiration of this worlds' breath and the breathing in of a new. Christ followers believe that the new breath will be forever. It is a breath of the Spirit of God. We leave the womb of this world and enter the heart of God. His presence is our breath! His heart is our heavenly home. His life is our life.

Father and Eternal God, You have birthed a new spirit in us who receive Your Son, Jesus, as our Lord. You lead us along the way to our birth into eternal life with You. Please forgive us, Lord, for not seeing beyond this world into the true life that You give us. Thank You for each birth into this world, the birth of their spirit when they receive You, and the birth of Your children into their Heavenly place within Your heart. I pray today, for my Mother-in-law who may be struggling towards that beautiful place. If You would choose, I ask that she have just a bit more time here to enjoy the family who has lived so far away for so many years. If You have other plans, Lord, we will be glad in You and in the breath of life You give her. I trust You. Thank You, Lord for life!