It may be too soon, but I’m ready to greet–and continue–each new day with deep-breathing—not holding my breath until I check news feeds or e-mail from overnight. Real breathing, too, not the short inhaling and exhaling that’s a sign of anxiety or stress.
What kind of breathing? Deep, slow respiration that exchanges oxygen for CO2. Breathing that replenishes every cell in my body and brain, that sends dopamine and other feel-good neurotransmitters to my core. “Breathing” that’s a sign of the Sprit.
I don’t know about you, but over the past years soul-cleansing breaths have sometimes been hard to come by. As you may have noticed in these entries, anxiety has hounded me in ways that were both obvious and hidden. It has sometimes been difficult to find joy, humor or delight. Dystopian thoughts have rattled around in my mind at night, delaying or interrupting life-giving sleep. I’ve not always been the most pleasant or hopeful guy to be around.
I don’t blame anyone else for all these non-breathing attitudes or behaviors. I’ve not been a victim of outside forces over which I had no control. For whatever reasons—we could talk more about this—I’ve let caution, dread and other non-animating mindsets dog my days and nag my nights.
Now I’m going to breathe again. The context of “these times” is shifting; the fresh, Spirit-blessed winds blowing throughout our land are wafting into my soul right now. Inviting me to draw their life into my own—helping me be truthful when I say “I’m glad to be alive.”
Why tell you this? Confession is good for the soul—it purges the spiritual dross that prohibits my inhaling the goodness of God.
Today I pray that you, too, can breathe!
