:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download a podcast for each day of Lent bysubscribing to my church’s podcast or visiting the podcast blog for each day of the series.

Just breathe.

That may sound simple enough. Don’t we breathe every day without even thinking about it?

Exactly.

Breathing sustains us minute by minute. It’s the most important thing you can do today. And yet we keep sucking air in and out, not realizing how important it is.

Stop and breathe.

Seriously, close your eyes and focus on only breathing.

Suck the air in and let it out in a rush. Then do it again.

We breathe constantly, a life-sustaining multi-tasking that ensures we’ll never notice the one simple thing that keeps us alive. So many other things strike us as urgent, but only one keeps us on our feet.

• We eat and breathe.
• We drive and breathe.
• We shop and breathe.
• We work and breathe.
• We cook and breathe.

We rarely breathe as a single practice. Just breathing may well be the height of simplicity. Breathing is the one thing that we must do.

When we breathe, we are alive. That is all. As we focus on only breathing, we can take a few steps forward:

Breathing Teaches Us Awareness

As you focus on breathing, you may notice that it’s hard to do. Perhaps your pulse rises. I’ve had anxiety attacks in the past, and whenever my anxiety rises, my body gives me a clue through difficulty breathing. Learn to stop and take note of the signals your body is giving you.

Breathing Gives Us Perspective

I find that I often run from one thing to another, placing too high an importance on relatively trivial matters. Few of the things that I worry about will actually threaten my life. Only by stopping to breathe and simplify my day can I spot my orientation and the unhealthy patterns I’ve been cultivating.

Breathing is easy to overlook, but it is the most essential aspect of every day. Without breathing, we would just collapse.

The more we ponder the simple practice of breathing, the more aware we can become of the miracle of life. How does sucking air in and out of our lungs sustain us?

That is the mystery of God. Our lives depend on him, and if stopping to breathe can teach us that one thing, it will be well worth our time.

The Greenhouse

Take one minute to focus on breathing and nothing else. Did it change the direction or focus of your day?

If you tried the five minutes of silence from yesterday, try five minutes of silent breathing. If you want to turn this into a prayer, try praying the Jesus Prayer in your mind as you breathe. For example:

• Breathing in: Jesus Christ
• Breathing out: Son of God
• Breathing in: have Mercy on Me
• Breathing out: a sinner.

Try focusing on breathing while doing something else today so that you focus on the breathing first. For example, if you take a walk, focus on breathing rather than your pace. If you’re buying groceries, take a minute to focus on your breathing as you walk through the store. Don’t worry about speeding through the store. Breathe while you shop.