Learning to Breathe

When did you last carve out time to simply breathe? The fact is that most of us don't take time to breathe. Sure we are breathing, but we don't take time to do nothing but breathe. Our lives are filled with to-do lists, obligations, and commitments. Most of our lives lack margin. The result is that the present moment is often overshadowed by the future. We are always looking forward to the next thing--which ultimately makes us worried and anxious. Creating space to simply breathe is an antidote to this way of living. When we pause to breathe in God's presence, we declare that we are not defined by our doing, that the weight of the world does not rest on our shoulders, and that we can trust God to accomplish through us all that needs to be accomplished. And in that context learning to breathe takes on spiritual significance.