I’ve been doing it again.  In the midst of stress, in the deluge of work and life, I find myself barely breathing.  I mean, yes, I’m breathing… but the shallow, constricted kind that happens when we’re under pressure.  My shoulders are knotted, my head hurts….  You know the drill.

Survival mode takes a toll. 

It’s been a difficult year for most everyone, I think.  It’s the kind of unusual circumstances that are oddly now normal, but more surreal than anything.  Always waiting for the other shoe to drop, a new way to do the most common transactions, socially hamstrung…. We are weary, leery, and blurry-eyed at what comes next. 

Maybe it’s this pandemic wearing on me, or the incessant political ads that accost us at every turn.  But it’s more. Every aspect of life has been a challenge in ways I could not have anticipated.  I am, like the rest of the world, believing for the best while bracing for impact at the same time. 

Back to breathing. 

I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to notice it.  I consciously remind myself at different intervals throughout the day to take a slow deep breath, and then again.  It felt unnatural.  Awkward.  As if I needed to retrain my lung capacity to full expansion.  The tension, the restriction so very evident. 

What does this have to do with faith? Everything.  

God breathed life into existence.  Our breath is the first thing we take in when we enter the world and it’s the last thing we let out when we pass through to our eternity.  It’s important.   We don’t realize the way we can be choked off from it in big and little ways.  When we are worried, when we are anxious, we subconsciously suppress our ability to do it well. 

Though not scientific, I believe there is a correlation between our ability to walk in faith and to sense Him in our circumstances, and our breathing.   

For me, when I’m so preoccupied with my life issues, I will pay Him only quick platitudes — rattling off my list of things I need His help with as I grab my keys and head out the door.  This is prayer, but it's not the kind that fulfills my longing to connect with Him, to hear what He has to say, to thank Him for my blessings.  As a result, I feel off, ungrounded, reactive. 

Think about it.  When does the enemy come to mess with you most?  When are we more prone to mistakes, irritation, unrest, unkindness?  When are we most susceptible to discouragement, even depression?   

When our faith tanks are running on fumes, the enemy comes and pushes us over the proverbial edge.   

I have a friend who reminds me often that “As long as there is breath, there is hope.”  I hold on to this, knowing that I will see God work in the most desperate of circumstances.  That in an instant, my situation can change.  He’s already at work, already turning it around for my good, already making a way where this is no way.  

All that is needed of me, is to keep walking and keep my eyes on Him.  

Through His breath, the Holy Spirit came so that we might have His power within us.  In His name, we are witnesses to miracles, healing, restoration, resolution, and renewal. 

Nothing is impossible for God.  Into dust, He breathes new life. 

It is the spirit of man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.  Job 32:8

I guess what I am trying to say here, is simple —  Breathe deeply.  Force yourself, remind yourself, count to ten and do it again. 

With each intake, thank God for something you are grateful for.  And as you slowly exhale, release to His care whatever is burdening your heart.  It cleanses your mind, invigorates your spirit, centers you physically and mentally. 

“Thank you, Lord, that you hear my prayers.” 

Try this three times a day. 

Whatever you are carrying,  whatever you are surviving, breathe in His promises, breath out your anxieties.  Breathe in His love, breath out your fear.  Breathe in His faithfulness, breath out your brokenness… 

May the Peace that surpasses all understanding wash over you and hold you and comfort you.

May you always know that as long as there is breath, there is hope. 

Everything is going to be alright.  

Just breathe. 

Mary Bryant is the author of "When He Walks Away… Hearing God When Your Husband Leaves Your Marriage,” a 5-Star Rated book available on Amazon