"Breathing Space"

When I was a kid, my brother and I were always wrestling with each other.  We didn't actually fight much--our goal was to see who could pin the other down and dominate the other.  Being the youngest, I generally lost.  To this day, I can't stand to watch professional wrestlers put each other in choke holds, or pin their opponents in ways where they don't have room to breathe.  Sometimes, when life seems like it closes in or gets oppressive, I feel stifled, choked, like I just need some breathing space.  That's when I try to step away from the situation and just breathe.

Working with people in crisis, I often find that clients come into my office filled with anxiety and fear.  Much of that is, honestly, merited, given the traumas they have gone through.  But nothing can be accomplished when stress remains at such a high level.  Often, I ask clients to pause and breathe with me.  They find that this helps--not only because their body needs oxygen, but because returning to their breath means focusing on that which is most basic.

Your breath is the most basic thing in life.  It's what makes you alive.  Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living being.  That same God is breathing on you today, filling you with energy, filling you with Spirit, inviting you to inhale the goodness of God's presence.  When life stresses you out, don't forget to breathe.  And in that breath, find your peace.