Breath.
Nose-to-nose,
each day,
in near silence,
this is how
a teen-aged boy
greets his alpaca:
They touch foreheads . . . and breathe,
swapping morning breath,
mutually saluting the life force.
A pulmonary transaction. A gift.
The trusting loan of what each needs most.
I think of Aslan breathing on poor Mr. Tumnus, frozen into a statue by the White Witch.
And the Hebrew word Ruach: “Wind. Breath. Spirit.”
Breath itself, in the beginning . . .
Dear Animating Mercy,
Thank you for breathing life into the first human being, part stardust, part water, part mystery.
Thank you for lungs—for every fetus, those dormant organs awakened at birth.
Thank you for dreaming up Breath Practice via placentas. Via the luminous, pulsing, umbilical cord. Each of us took practice breaths late in our third trimester. And did not drown. We inhaled rich amniotic fluid, safely expanded our untried lungs.
Thank you for surfactant, the ingenious lung coating that keeps air sacs open, inflated.
Thank you for oxygen and carbon dioxide, the great ongoing exchange among people, creatures, plants.
Thank you for sighs resetting our respiratory system, relieving stress, recalibrating emotions.
Thank you for moments that take our breath away.
Thank you for ancient truths, breathed out:
The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4).
If it were [God’s] intention to withdrew his spirit and breath,
all would perish together and return to the dust (Job 34:14,15).
But it is the spirit in [us], the breath of the Almighty,
that gives . . . understanding (Job 32:8).
Tell me, what does holy mean now?
Aslan and Mr. Tumnus (watch the magic here).
You might also enjoy reading: Sigh, Sigh, Sigh (& Stay Alive)
Dandelion photo, by Johannes Plenio, Unsplash
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).
Hello, Dear Friend. Thank you for the lovely post on the breath of God. I think about His Ruach breath quite frequently, so of course, this post resonated. (Not to mention, your always-delightful way of writing that blesses anyone with eyes to see!) The song you posted, was steadying music for me this past year as I jumped on the highway and commuted (as fast as legal) to a variety of jobs. I still remember the tears that accompanied each listen in the wee hours of the morning on Christian radio…. my lifeline, as I remembered to derive my peace from the Holy Spirit of Jesus. With Him, I triumphed over all kinds of stress and chaos in the workplace! I also appreciate the way you decorated this post with scientific nomenclature. You are a treasure. Thank you.
You are so welcome. You have truly LIVED it this past year, friend. The hard and holy things. Where would we be without those lifelines you mention in times we are so hard pressed on every side. I applaud your triumph with all my heart. And yes, what a potent song! I hope things are unfolding peaceably these days and that beauty will once again pour through your mind and spirit and hands for many to enjoy.
Jesus says of himself, “for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.
And I can breath…
His breath becomes mine. His music becomes mine. His spirit breaths life into my soul.
Roberta, please forgive my belated response. I’ve been traveling for a couple weeks with Dreamer. I’m so glad you mentioned that quote. I love that promise. And your next three statements describing your experience offer contagious quiet I need this morning. Thank you, friend.
Dearest Laurie,
I loved the line, “burnish the divine reputation.” As if He needs improvement! I saw myself in that phrase, ever wishing to present God to the world as most glorious. But need I strive in that effort? Of course not. I love Him so. I yearn for distracted humanity to be gripped by His glory. But I’m reminded. “We have this treasure in jars of clay so that His all surpassing power is not of us but of Him.” He dwells in me, hence I can peacefully lay aside futile efforts to “burnish the divine reputation.”
Niki, for the life of me, I can’t find the phrase you mention in this post. ??? But I agree with you that no striving on our parts is necessary. Or even seemly. Who can add to the One who is Matchless?
Love your yearnings and reminder about treasure and where the true power rests, always and absolutely. Love you, too!
Oops! Laurie, I had also read Catch & Release! The phrase was in that blog, not in Catch Your Breath Here.
By the way, I love the song by Diaz that you included in Catch Your Breath. AND, I’m enjoying your playlist.
Love, Niki
Oh, of course.
That Diaz song IS a winner. So glad you’re enjoying the tunes readers have listed in the playlist.
Blessings on your day, friend!
God’s glory made manifest in the “common” act of breathing! Thank you, Laurie, for expanding my mind (about Practice Breaths, for example) and my spirit (about the meaning of Job 32:8). As always, it is the WAY you write as much as WHAT you write that ministers refreshment to my soul. Such beauty, creativity, and hallowed worship!
Dear Nancy, those Practice Breaths were new knowledge for me, as well. Isn’t it just like God to program in timely test drives in utero! The practical foresight and love behind our design makes me catch my breath in wonder.
And thank you, my friend, for your affirmation of the ways these posts spill out. Sometimes I shake my head afterward, thinking, How did THAT happen? Words like yours, coming from another wordsmith, deeply hearten this aging scribe. 🙂
Laurie, I really loved thiu post.
I am in a season of seeking God in solitude and silence, and the word- breathe- was a centering prayer recently, so this post really blessed me.
Reading this pale small type is extremely difficulk for me to read, so please excuse any typos.
Mary, how marvelous!—both your centering season of stillness and the apt timing of the post for you. The timing is just lovely.
It’s always a gift to feel attuned to someone’s experience in ways we could never plan for or make happen on our own. I’m so grateful you shared about it here. Thank you.
I’m sorry for the pale font in the comments section, How frustrating that must be. I’m not sure if I can change that or not, but I’ll ask my web girl. And please, never never let a potential typo worry you.
Blessings on your continued practice of solitude and silence.
Laurie, dear Laurie, as usual, everything you pen is a breath of fresh air. Lovely. I so enjoy breathing it all in. As a singer, I know the importance of deep breathing. We use so little of our breath capacity. My teacher taught us about diaphragmatic breathing. And it’s not just about how we breathe or how much air we inhale, but how we exhale our breath that is important in singing. We must “control” our breath, so as not to exhale too rapidly and lose air, thus hindering our ability to sustain tone, sing in tune, and finish a musical line. Phrasing is important to our sound and to our message. We must breath deeply and avoid shallow breathing, control our breath and not let out our air in one big whoosh. Breath sustains sound, just as it sustains life. And of course, breath sustains the life of our spirit as well. Thank goodness, Creator God who gave us physical breath, also gives us spiritual breath. We’d be dead in our trespasses and sins without it. Oh my! I long to breathe deeply of His Spirit. Sadly, I don’t always breathe diaphragmatically of Him! This prompts me to ask how I am cutting off His air supply in my heart and soul. Oh how I need His breath to sustain me daily, not to go flat and stale on life, not to live too “sharply” and critically, not to run out of steam and peter out on the work He bids me do, how to phrase my life in such a way that pleases Him and blesses others. I love how you speak of life (all life, including life in the womb) in this post. All life comes from and is sustained by Him. And as Job says, if He removes our breath, we return to dust. Truly our lives, our breath are in His hands. God is great, and God is sovereign. Your eloquent, creative post reminds me of this beautiful hymn, “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”:
1. 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.
2. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.
3. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
till all this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.
4. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
I want to live like this, filled with the breath of God, straight into eternity.
So grateful for your beautiful, literally life-giving post, Laurie!
Love
Lynn
Dear Lynn, thank you for sharing these hard-won secrets that singers cultivate and sustain all their lives for optimal sound. Such discipline. Such joy.
Your description helps me see new spiritual applications for vocal building blocks and troubleshooting (phrasings, sustaining health and beauty of voice, issues of singing sharp or flat). Thank you. You’ve enriched the post greatly here. 🙂
Your question about how you might be cutting off His air supply is one I want to ponder for my own life. Thank you for sharing that. And the beautiful surrender embodied by these classic song lyrics! Blessings on you, my friend.
Laurie, thank you. Oh how you make me THINK!! (but you always do it gently and beautifully, lyrically, of course, too)! I wrote a talk once called “Sing to the Lord a New Song” (opening by singing a few lines of Dvorak’s “I Will Sing New Songs of Gladness”), and gave my listeners a metaphorical master class in voice. The parallels God showed me to singing the song of life and voice lessons were amazing! As a singer, yourself, you understand all this. So loved your post. Thank you!!
xoxo
L
Good for these aging brains, isn’t it! That sounds like a talk (and mini-concert?) I would love to have heard. If you give this one in heaven, dibs on a front row seat. 🙂 xo
Lynn, your comment blessed me so.
My prayer is the same as yours, I want to live like this, filled with the breath of God, straight into eternity.
I love that song too, and sing it to God as a prayer of supplication.
Oh yes, that song!! To live buoyed by His breath, in obedience, is everything . . . surrendered to His Spirit, straight to eternity. Oh, the thoughts that Laurie’s creativity sparks. I’m so glad you love that hymn, Mary.
❤️
Susan, your response makes me smile all over. Thanks for letting me know. Love you!