Current Weekends

The theme God has put on my heart for VN #43 is “Breathe.” When I think of this theme, I think of it as a full sentence - “Breathe.” Breathing is one of the few processes of the body that happens both consciously and subconsciously. It can be both automatic and controlled. “Breathe.” This sentence has two main meanings to me: first, asking God to breathe His life into me. This is like how we breathe subconsciously - sometimes without even noticing. He is the one who gives us each and every breath in our lungs, whether we think about each breath or not. Acts 17:24-25 says, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” I want Him to remind me that He is the one sustaining me, both physically and spiritually. That I should be as desperate for Him as I am desperate for oxygen. He is the one I turn to when it feels like I can’t breathe, and I want to be so close to Him that my breathing is in rhythm with His. After all, being in relationship with God is what we were designed for. 

And second, “Breathe” to me, means telling myself to breathe. This is like breathing consciously - controlling it. Reminding myself to intentionally set my mind on the Spirit. Romans 8:5-6 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Notice that this doesn’t say that we will just stumble into life and peace. We need to actively and intentionally set our minds on the Spirit, and guard against the sinful desires of the flesh. When we are intentional about our physical breathing, we can directly influence other functions of the body. In times of stress or anxiety, breathing slowly and deeply helps to lower blood pressure and slow our heart rate, bringing us back to center. Similarly, we don’t always have direct control over our circumstances in life, but we CAN control how much time we spend with God and practice breathing in His presence, which will directly impact the way we view our circumstances. Prayer, meditating on God’s word, worship, and being in community with other believers are all ways that we can practice breathing in His presence daily. I’ve heard it said that “breathing is the bridge between the brain and the body. Prayer is the bridge between God and us.” It’s not about checking off the boxes of practicing spiritual disciplines. It’s about spending time with the God who created you and letting Him restore your soul back to its original state; bringing you back to Him as your center.

Scripture invites us into God shaping us in Isaiah 64:8, "Yet you Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." NIV

The potter doesn't just make bowls to be useful. He creates pieces that carry something of his own soul. When we live honestly, we allow ourselves to be shaped by forgiveness, tenderness, and truth, we become living works of art, bearing the signature of the One who made us.

You may start to see your life as a kind of living vessel; molded by memory, marked by stories of both wounding and wonder. The question becomes: What do we do with this clay of your life? Do you harden it in bitterness, or do you keep yielding to the shaping of Divine Hands? He is the ultimate craftsman, and we are His clay; He will not take us off His wheel until His fingers have molded us into a shape that pleases Him.

Jeremiah 18:3-4, "So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." NIV