Breathe In, Breathe Out...Repeat!

Have you ever been in a situation where the simplest breath was preciously coveted?

Going to college is so much different than High School. My small High School was full of familiar people, mundane activities, and an utter lack of anything spectacular. Even the sports were routine: you know, basketball, football, tennis, and baseball. However, when I went to college, I was bombarded by sports options never before seen by the small-town eye. Racquetball, field hockey, pickleball (whatever the heck that is), and bowling…it was like a hillbilly going to the big city to buy some “new duds!”
As I poured over my options for an athletic elective, something caught my eye on the “classes offered” page. Scuba diving 101. I rubbed my eyes and brought them back into focus to make sure it wasn’t a dream. Scuba diving? Were they serious? This was West Texas…there wasn’t a body of water even deep enough lay down in, much less go under and begin to swim around! Intrigued, however, I made my mark and set my calendar for scuba.

The first class was mesmerizing. We met at the university pool, which was ½ Olympic length with a 12 foot deep end. The teachers, a husband and wife team, went over every piece of equipment a scuba diver needed. The textbook (yes, scuba even has a textbook!) was filled with illustrations, charts, and definitions. The class ended with a brief demonstration in the pool by one of the teachers. We were all guardedly excited. Yet, over the next few classes, we did nothing but bookwork and swimming. In fact, we had to swim laps almost every week. And then, after almost a month of preparations and learning, we got our chance to go underwater.

I’ll never forget that day. There were 16 of us in the class by that point (many had dropped out), 10 guys, 6 girls. As we got suited up and into the shallow end of the pool, we took our first attempt at breathing from the mouthpiece. It was a strange experience. The air was cold and dry, and it tasted a bit of aluminum. Inhaling the air took a little effort, as the valve shifted from purge to flow and back to purge again. As we did so, the teachers took one last moment to tell us how important it was to continue to keep the mouthpiece between our teeth, to breath regularly, and not to panic. And then we got the signal to go under the water and breathe. I confess, I was a little unnerved on my first attempt. Maybe it was just the uncomfortable coordination of breathing with the rubber mouthpiece or the absolutely foreign sensation of taking breaths and looking out at the expanse of the deep, blue pool. As I breathed in, a sharp tone of white noise clamored out of the tank, and as I exhaled, bubbles tickled my face and made their way upward to the surface. Cool! I was scuba diving…keep in mind, it was in four feet of water in the safety of an indoor pool and surrounded by seasoned professionals…but I was doing it.

As I turned to look at some of my classmates who were also submerged, I noticed commotion in the water at the other side of the pool. Soon, I saw legs and swim trunks plopping into the water and moving toward the disturbance. Curious as to what the disorder might be, I began to surface. As I pulled off my goggles and extricated my mouthpiece, I witness one of the teachers removing a girl from the pool. She was coughing violently. There were volumes of water spewing from her mouth with every heave. Then, as quickly as it started, the girl became calm and her breathing more methodic. When she was stabilized and whisked to the nurse, the teacher said, “this is a great example of what happens when you panic and forget to breathe. The gear will do the work…if you only let it.” We all took notice and no one ever made that mistake again – including the girl who had inhaled the water. We each went on to get our certification while diving to over 60 feet in Lake Travis near Austin, Tx.

Have you ever thought about the preciousness of breath? It’s something we take for granted to the point of not even knowing we do it. On average, we breathe in, breathe out and repeat over 17,500 times a day (give or take depending on exercise), and chances are, not even one of those miraculous events graces our conscience. When we breathe, we take in precious oxygen that permeates the bloodstream and animates the tissues. When we forget to breathe, however, the body begins to shut down, systems fail and the senses dull. If given enough time, the brain will lose consciousness, and the body will lose its ability to intake oxygen and die.

Breathing is the gift of the Maker. God has built in every living creature the innate need to breathe. Yet, as true as this fact is for good health, God has also placed within us a reflex for spiritual breath - the breath of God that gives us true life and purpose. With enough training, however, we can teach the spirit to deprive itself of the much needed atmosphere of God, or we simply find an alternative source to breathe in. This week in your worship, think about the way in which you breathe…not just physically with the lungs, but spiritually with the soul. Contemplate how exhilarating it is when we take in the refreshing wind of God into our spirits, and slowly exhale his glory. Meditate on a time when you deeply inhaled the Lord and His life-giving flow. Translate your joy into praise and breathe the Lord this week.

Resounding Themes:

Breathing and Exhaling God’s Goodness
Broken and Contrite Hearts
Christ, the Highest of High
Blessing of God

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

Psalm 119:33-40

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

- How much life-giving power do we attest to God’s Word? If we believe it to be much, does our daily attitude and behavior reflect it? What keeps us from accepting the truth about life and God’s role in it?

- What attitude does the Psalmist seem to have towards God’s Word? What things does he ask of God in connection to his decrees? How much of his life seems to be dependent on God’s blessing and grace?

- The Psalmist seems to “breathe” God’s laws and decrees. For you, what would it mean to inhale and exhale God? How would that change your attitude toward life? God’s Word? Parenting? Employment? Service?

Ready, Set, PRAY

God, You are the very air we breathe! Not the slightest breath that escapes our nostrils does so without your knowledge or design. How precious is each breath…as they reflect the glory and presence of You, our Maker.

Father, we want to breath more of You. Lord, it is our desire that the fresh wind of Your Spirit invade our lungs and animate our tissues, until we are one with You, as Jesus and You are one. Remind us, dear Lord, just as we are desperate for oxygen to breathe, so, too, we are dependent on the breath of Your Spirit.

As a marathon runner, would You give us a second wind, that the race might become even more enjoyable as we travel. God, please allow us an ever-increasing understanding that You are the Giver of the breath of life…and that there’s no life outside of You!

God, You are the air we breathe! And we exhale in the name of Your son Jesus.
AMEN.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!