I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, working ... and thinking. Not those fluffy, white cloud thoughts. No. It was those thoughts that intrude, that want to take over and wrestle your hope to the ground.

You know what I mean?

Just then my son passed my office and I caught two words of the song he was singing: "Just breathe." Those two words woke me up out of my 'thinking coma'.

Immediately a memory of my midwife came to mind. During the delivery of one of my sons she said, "Breathe." I had been holding my breath trying to bear the pain of contractions. She gently instructed me to breathe with the pain. She reminded me that my body, my baby, and the process needed the oxygen and the rhythm of my breathing.

And today the Spirit whispered to me, "Don't hold your breath. Breathe." He reminds me of that from time to time because sometimes emotionally I hold my breath.

Do you do that, too? Do you sometimes forget to breathe? Do you see a storm barreling across the horizon of life and you hold your breath, imagining the chaos it could cause? Do you see that dear friend who no longer speaks to you, and you get so caught up in the sorrowful thoughts of lost friendship that you forget to breathe? Do the tasks that lay ahead come to mind and the share breadth and depth of them take your breath away, and you feel like you can't breathe?

Today I want to remind you to breathe.

Holding your breath won't help the situation. It won't help calm your thoughts. It won't bring peace or resolution. So breathe. Literally ... and emotionally. Let the tension out with each exhale. Breathe in God ... His truth, His hope, His promises ... His presence.

He is a very present help in time of trouble. You are not alone. He is able to carry you through. You have ground to cover, and lessons to learn, and healing to experience, and a race to run. You can do it.
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Just breathe.

1. Ask God to reveal to you where it is you have been hurt. Sometimes we are very clear as to where we have been hurt. Other times we aren’t so sure. We’re unaware of some of the spiritual and emotional wounds that are eating away at us.  Ask God to show you those wounded places.  
2. Pour out your heart to God, telling Him what you’re feeling. As you recall those wounded places that have not healed, emotions will rise to the surface - maybe anger, regret, discouragement, fear, guilt, bitterness, sorrow, and/or others. Name your feelings as you talk to God about them.
3. Express to God your willingness to forgive and then confess to Him any unforgiveness. Name the person who has hurt you in word, deed, or attitude, and express to God that you have come before Him to forgive that person. Remember, forgiveness does not mean making excuses for the person. It does not mean pretending that they have not hurt you. The person has cost you and owes you a real debt. Forgiveness involves acknowledging what this person has cost you, and casting that cost onto God.  Forgiveness also involves expressing to God a desire to forgive the person.
4. Ask God to forgive the person. This is not about a feeling. This is a choice and a decision to petition God for this person’s forgiveness.
5. Ask God to shed His light into the person’s heart, to draw the person to Himself, and to make Himself known to that person.  If the person has sinned against you and is indifferent to it, that person really is without the light of Christ. That is someone who desperately needs God’s transformative presence. Pray for that person.
6. Ask God to forgive you.  Ask Him to forgive you for holding on to any bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, and hatred. Ask Him to forgive you for retaliating, or gossiping, or anything you may have done to not reflect His light into the situation. Also ask Him to forgive you for not trusting Him that He will heal you, restore you, and bless you through this situation.
7. Ask the Holy Spirit to heal you; ask Him to heal your wounded spirit.