Breathing With God

When the Lord God formed a human from the dust of the ground and breathed into the human's nostrils the breath of life, and the human became a living being.  Genesis 2:7

Most of us take our breath for granted, unless you have a respiratory disorder like asthma or COPD.  Did you know that on average, a person takes about 30,000 breaths per day? That's a lot of inhaling and exhaling!  And we know what the impact of breathing less can be on our bodies: impaired thinking, anxiety, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and cardiovascular issues, just to name a few.  To have breath is to be alive.  And to have less breath is to be less alive than we are designed to be.

I've thought a lot about breathing this summer as so many have had Covid, for the first time, or again, and how much our breath is both the transmitting agent and location of compromise in this vector of disease.  I have also been thinking about the impact on air quality due to the fires raging around the world, and how so many people do not have a means to protect themselves from the particulates they inhale.  I have been thinking about the ways we "inhale" news and content that is literally swirling around us in the digital wireless atmosphere, wondering how the soup of information that surrounds us might be choking our collective soul to death.

When the narrators of the second creation story in Genesis spoke about the Breath of God they were not thinking of a static thing, a commodity that could be packaged and shipped to us next-day by Amazon.  They were imagining a living element that was shared with the human(s) (here is an interesting short article on the origins of the ancient Hebrew word 'adam) which was intrinsic to God's self.  God shared God's breath with the humans, and they were animated with life and a nephesh, or soul. 

This act of God breathing into and with human beings is as ancient as human beings themselves.  Each time a child is born, and they take their first breath, those present for this miracle witness the ancient story of God filling a human with life.  We have created machines and medications that allow people with compromised respiratory systems to live.  We understand the mechanics of breathing and are able to mimic the oxygen created by the natural systems around us.  And yet, we can never own or control the Ruach Elohim, the Breath of God that animates the soul and enables the compassion, the love, the joy that breathing with God allows.

For me, breathwork, or the practice of breathing with God, is a reminder to slow down, the pay attention, and look for the places where my nephesh is dancing with God's Breath.  It is a reminder that I am not the center of the universe, and that God is actually up to something as big as breathing life into dust.  It is an opportunity to, as my Gmail signature says, "Stop. Breathe. Wonder."  It is an opportunity to remember that I am never alone, and that God is actually breathing with me every moment of my life.  

What a miraculous gift!

So, take a deep breath, and let it out with a sigh.

Take another deep breath and sigh a little louder as you exhale.

Now, do it one more time and pause to feel your soul meeting God, even if for only an instant.

Breathe life in us God that we may breathe life into this world with you. Remind us to slow down and notice, wonder, and see where you are breathing life into dust and joy from despair. Bring our awareness to your breath in us and our soul in you. Amen.

From my nephesh to yours,

Pastor Robin