Spiritual Breathing
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
Life feels out of sync right now. The juggle is real. Rest is sporadic. When we feel anxious or panic we can often forget to do some of the most basic yet important things in life, sometimes even forgetting to breathe! From the moment we take our first breath until we take our last we follow a lifelong, life-giving rhythm of breathing. We can and need to keep the rhythm of breathing not just physically; but spiritually too.
Spiritual rhythms can help you continue inhaling Christ’s spirit and exhaling our own self-reliance. We have a new life in Jesus! This amazing grace of God through Christ allows us to be in an intimate relationship with the Trinity both now and for all eternity. So spiritual rhythmic breathing are not rules, but opportunities to expand your relationship with God. They let us maintain our spirit’s life in Christ with revitalising breath. Our Father wants us to thrive in Him. He has preordained good things for us to do for Him. So let’s find our strength for every step through Him.
“This is a marathon, pace yourselves”. Wouldn’t we be rich if we had a dollar for every time we have heard this phrase over the last 18 months? When we exert ourselves our breathing naturally becomes deeper, or sometimes shallow and desperate, and so a long distance runner trains in this vital practice so they can finish the course strong. Similarly during this marathon season, we too need to intentionally practice the rhythm of deep, life-giving spiritual breathing especially when we feel anxious, stressed and tired.
You might consider practicing one of the rhythms below, inviting God deeper into every area of your life, letting your spirit further align with His Spirit in all things. Let the awareness of God’s presence and power become life and breath to you today.
The Holy Pause is intentionally taking a holy moment in between each task that we do. It has been practiced by monks for centuries, and we too can benefit when we stop and acknowledge God in each transition throughout our day. It can be a simple breath of a prayer, “Thank you, Father, for helping me through that. By your Spirit may it accomplish your purposes. Please equip me now for this next activity ahead.”
The Power (and Productivity!) of the Holy PauseBreath in “I can’t”; breath out “God can” throughout the day (or night). When the waters are rising and the noose is tightening, inhale the reality “I can’t” and exhale the truth, “God can.” This is not over-trivializing the famous Philippians 4:13, rather it is embracing the virtue of poverty of spirit. “When Jesus spoke about the ‘poor in spirit,’ he was talking about people who were totally helpless and entirely dependent upon God to supply all their needs. This kind of weakness is a place of blessing. It is a gift to be able to say, ‘I can’t, but God can!’” (Sharon Brown, Sensible Shoes)
What is your first thought in the morning? Take note of it, and then take it to the Lord. We live our lives with a to-do list pages long. Remembering that each day is from the Lord and for the Lord let’s us find rest in relinquishing the reigns of control and trusting Him...again. Before your feet even hit the floor, consider starting each day with this prayer: “Good morning Lord! What are you doing today? I’d love to be a part of it.”
Take a sabbath rest. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 34:21). This commandment can scare, confuse, and even overwhelm us. Work it out with the Lord and embrace His permission to just say, “No, not today,” to find a deep rest and refreshment in the Lord on a weekly basis. “Sabbath is not a reward for a job well done. Sabbath is the result of a world that is oriented toward a good and generous and loving God.” (A.J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath)