Breathing: Step by Step Instructions

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

And in Romans 12:12 I find the step by step instructions to breathing.

First, inhale. 

Let the beauty of hope and the overwhelming weight of all you have to give thanks for catch your breath and suck it deep, straight in. Remember all the ways you've been blessed. Run each brother's smile and each sister's laugh and each understanding eye through your hurting heart and let it be the balm that smoothes the edges of every chip and crack. Each day is brand new with mercy and each moment shines clean with hope. 

Hope. Even the word leaves you hanging, just waiting for what comes next. Hope. Like a breath of wind itself reminding you to breathe. There's so much hanging on that wind, and it can be caught. And when every little thing is a grace gift from the hand of the Father, even (and especially) the pain and the sleepness nights and the knowing how fragile you really are, there's no fear in breathing it all in.

Second, do it slow. 

Learning the rhythm of hope doesn't happen in a moment, it happens over a lifetime. It happens slow. What else do you have to do? You've made a list, but at the top of it #1 should always be "Breathe." Without this breath nothing else will ever get done, and it's this that dictates the pace of your life. So remember to breathe deep and slow.

When we slow down in the tribulation we can suddenly see the grace in it all. When we move at the speed of light we miss the sound of the wind. We miss the colours of a life, the beautiful variation of growth. Just one word can turn chaos into grace beauty. Slow.

Finally, exhale.

Breathe out, let go, lay it all down to the ear of the Sovereign One. Thanksgiving for all the grace you've seen in breathing hope and doing it slow, confession of all that is still muddled, and petition for the next breath. Don't miss this step. To the soul that inhales without breathing it all out death will surely come. He gives all the grace, so breathe it in and then give it right back. He renews it and multiplies it with every cycle. 

Inhale the hope that is all around you. Do it slow and even the trials sparkle with grace. Breathe back all He's gifted and it will return in the next breath. 

Repeat.