Breathe
By Rev. Catherine Nance
I had to laugh as I drove past a house in our neighborhood last week. All of the inflatables – Santa Claus, Frosty, Wise Men, Shepherds, Rudolph – were lying flat on the ground. “Bless their hearts,” I thought, “they are already exhausted from Christmas!” But I knew that as soon as dusk comes, the homeowner will plug in the blower and, as if by magic, the vinyl figures will come to life. They will be full and fluffy and joyful until they are unplugged; and then back to their two dimensional selves. Most of us do not flatten out suddenly; it happens over time. We have hurried and shopped and run to the post office and mailed and baked and [enter your own to-do list] have not taken time to stop. “I didn’t have a chance to stop to breathe today!” Have you said that before? We cannot live without breathing. Thankfully, our body knows that we have to take in breath...inhale...exhale. Our spirit needs to breathe also. Remember to pause and give thanks to God for his love, or simply take time to breathe and thank God for his spirit. The words for breath, wind, and spirit are all the same. Ruach in Hebrew; pneuma in Greek.
One of my favorite memories from when the boys were young was on Christmas Eve nights (or veeeery early Christmas mornings). Brad and I would tiptoe to their rooms and listen. Listen for their deep breathing which meant it was safe for Santa’s elves to venture out. It is not a Christmas carol, but it is my favorite hymn:
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe...
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