LIFE & BREATHSample

DAY ONE: LIFE & BREATH AT CREATION

“Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

Most days we walk through life and can so easily take the gift of breath for granted. It’s a constant activity happening whether we pay attention to it or not. We go to sleep, wake up in the morning and we are still breathing. We use it to propel all of our activities through the day - varying our use of it depending on whether we are walking or running, working or resting. One of the most beautiful uses of breath is of course singing. I love how singing can be such a mindful way of giving our breath back to God, in thanks and praise. We inhale and take into our lungs a big breath - then we exhale - the air flows over our vibrating vocal chords, making a joyful noise in the process - and that breath rises up to the throne of God - going straight back to the One who gifted it in the first place. And so it goes on, note by note and breath by breath. What a beautiful way to express our worship to the Almighty.

If we’re ever out of breath, or close to feeling like we “can’t breathe” for a moment, we become acutely aware of just how precious each and every breath is. We are wholly dependent on it - and are only able to survive momentarily without it. Another activity that acutely reminds us of our dependence on breathing is swimming. Under water the average human can hold their breath for only 30 to 90 seconds at a time. The truth is, for humans, there is no life without breath.

In Genesis 2:7, scripture tells us we’re formed from the dust of the ground, and that “God breathed the breath of life” into us. Without this, we would have no life. it’s all a gift of grace. We have not earned our breath. We have not worked for it. We could not self-generate it. We are alive simply because the God of life decided to breathe life into us, as a gift of His grace.

Every single breath that ever entered your lungs came as a gift from the Creator God. So today let as many of those breaths as possible find their way back to Him in praise.