Take a Deep Breath

There's so much in life that we take for granted, not the least of which is the life-giving ability to breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out –  the very breath of life itself. Every minute of every day each of the 8.23 billion people on Earth breathe in and out around 15 times. That's 7 litres in, 7 litres out, which makes for a 115 billion litres (30 billion gallons roughly) of air movement caused by the human race every minute of every day. That's an awful lot of hot air, wouldn't you agree?  But we don't think too much about everyone else's breath so long as our oxygen supply goes on uninterrupted – breathe in, breathe out. Nor do we stop to think … who put that breath in my lungs in the first place? Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (ESV) These days mindfulness is all the rage. It goes something like this. Just stop, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Great, but for me … well, I prefer God-fulness – just pausing momentarily to remember that even something as simple, as basic, as essential to life as breathing – breathe in, breathe out – is a gift from God. A wondrous gift. His gift of life. Pausing a few times each day just to remember that – it changes everything. The Spirit of God made you, and the breath of the Almighty gives you life. That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.