Encouraging You for God's Best - Monthly Newsletter

Breathe. . . .

Have you ever had to listen to someone speak, whether you were engaged in conversation or listening to a lecturer, and the individual was talking so fast that one sentence ran into the other? The individual was on a roll and you just couldn't find a good spot to inject your thoughts into the conversation. You wanted to tell the person to slow down and take a deep breath. Just "BREATHE."

Inhale - In / Exhale - Out

Does your life ever feel like a bunch of run-on sentences? Do you ever feel like you are moving from one responsibility or obligation to another and that you seldom take the time to "BREATHE?"

Whether you are going from work,

to children's activities,

to your classes (in person or online),

to church (service, Bible Study, meeting, etc.),

to a hair appointment,

to a board meeting,

to preparing a meal for your family,

to bed at night,

or anything in between, it seems that you are in a constant state of moving to the next thing. I can speak to this matter because I am often one of the victims of having a run-on day, many times controlled by my Blackberry or other life organizer. Even if you don't have a formal system of keeping up with your day. Maybe you just keep it in your head but you are always thinking ahead to what is coming up next.

It seems that the situation for so many Christian women is one in which there is so much to do and so few people engaged in the doing. We have our personal obligations but we also look for ways to be used by God for kingdom building. Jesus said to His disciples that the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few. Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers. (Matthew 9:37, 38) Even though everything that I do is not ministry (in the traditional sense of serving others), I do try to maximize those opportunities in my day by listening to, giving to, or praying for the needs of others.

But more and more, I am realizing the need for me to take the time to "

BREATHE," to just relax and allow my body to regroup from the many demands of my day. I am more mindful than ever that I want to be in the service of the Lord for a long time to come and I will need this body to live out that dream. As God is planting in my spirit to "Go" and sow for His kingdom, I don't want to be so drained or tired that I can't respond.

There are people waiting on the gifts that I have been blessed to possess. They are waiting for me to minister to their pain and to their brokenness. They are waiting on my testimony of God's unfailing love and His new mercies that are poured out everyday. They are waiting to hear of His saving grace.

So as I encourage myself in this area, let me also encourage you. Give consideration to yourself. Take the time to pamper yourself physically and mentally. Take care of your body. Be more aware of what you eat and how much you eat. Take a deep breath. Laugh out loud. Sing a silly song. Stop being so serious and stop being so religious. (I didn't say stop being godly or to stop walking in the Spirit.)

Let the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, guide us to wholesome, joyous living. This includes living out the Great Commission, but also resting, relaxing, laughing, loving and spending time with God. Make a vow to give up being controlling, judgmental, and cynical. Let's allow the breath of God to connect us to the heart of God. Love yourself so that you can love your spouse, your children and others.

Jesus said "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30) Just "B R E A T H E."