Breathing

We gasp for oxygen out of the womb in a stunning inauguration into human struggle.

Inhale. Exhale.

Since we came into this world, the rhythm continues. But not just physically. We inhale from our soul. We gasp for welcome, for love, for hope, for home. Who will love me? Do I belong? Then our soul makes an attempt to exhales feelings of “I’m not enough” or “I’m too much.”  

And yet, we cannot. The world’s philosophies and mantras snuff out our tenderness and hope. Our soul’s pulmonary system becomes congested by the mucus of fear and pride. A chronic infection of sin weighs us down and we cannot take a free breath in the air we were created for.

God interrupts this continuous struggle by planting a little flame of faith into our spirit. We do not conjure this up or manifest it by our own enlightenment, nor by good thoughts, good deeds, or good words. Faith comes from outside our existence and is sourced from pure Spirit.

God Himself gives faith. We can take no credit for it.

And so, a little faith flickers, we pray our first prayer, and our spirit inhales its first breath of life.

We inhale forgiveness. We exhale bitterness. We inhale love. We exhale hatred. We inhale acceptance. We exhale stubbornness. We inhale belonging. We exhale isolation. We inhale humility. We exhale idolatry. We inhale hope. We exhale the fear of death.  

Inhale. Exhale.

We breathe in the Green, New Life of God.

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Have you ever experienced the early green shoot of the prayer of faith? Do you remember what it felt like? Read more about that in the next article on the “Green” of God in the Color of God series.