Breathe
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands” (Acts 17:24-26).
One of the things we seem to forget to do, in the midst of any crisis, is simply breathe. We rush from one thing to another, often increasing our anxiety with each step. We trust God, we understand God’s omnipotence and we believe that we are in God’s hands…and yet.
We forget to breathe.
We forget to take a moment to be quiet and let God speak to us instead of doing all of the talking ourselves.
Over the last several weeks, (months, really), I have started the practice of morning quiet meditation. I take 15 minutes to sit quietly and simply breathe. I have learned to take a few deep breaths at the beginning and then I just listen to my own breathing and concentrate on that. Eventually my mind will wander…and I let it…until at about 10 minutes in, I settle. And, for the last 5 minutes, I simply listen.
What will God say, today?
In the daily chaos, do I know who I am and where I’m going?
What voice am I really listening to? Mine? The world? God’s?
And I just breathe.
I wish I could convince all of you to begin a practice of quiet breathing meditation but I know that for many, it is hard to sit still. Yet, I think if we can begin to simply be quiet, we have a greater opportunity to hear God “in the midst” of whatever is going on around us. It will give us all time to intently listen for the peace and hope offered by our loving Father.
So, who is with me? Who will spend a few minutes every day quietly listening for the voice that should be louder than all others?
Who will simply breathe?