2 January 2009 | Don't Waste Your Breath

If I were to scoop up a handful of dirt and blow into it, all I would get is a dirty face. When God did it, He got a living, breathing human being capable of thinking, feeling, dreaming, loving, reproducing, and living forever.

As one of these human beings, I speak of “catching” my breath, “holding” my breath, or “saving” my breath, but these are idioms of language. I cannot save my breath for use at a later time. If I don’t use the one I have now, I’ll lose it. I may even lose consciousness.

I tried playing the "hold your breath" game when I was a kid and wasn't getting what I wanted from my mom. I would stand in the front yard where she was sure to see me, take a deep breath (I didn't want to die too soon), and stop breathing. This got Mom's attention, but it didn't get me what I wanted. After I tried this a couple of times, Mom called Dr. Timmerman, and he told her not to worry. "As soon as she passes out, she'll start breathing again," he assured her. So much for my attempt to gain the upper hand with Mom.

Even though that strategy didn't work, it didn't keep me from finding other ways to misuse my breath. I've since used it to say wrong things, hurtful things, unkind things. I've used it to take me places I shouldn't go and do things I shouldn't do. But God, in his graciousness, has not yet taken my breath away from me. He keeps giving me new chances to use it for good.

I don't care for the phrase, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.” When we place so much importance on "breath-taking" moments, we miss the wonder of simply breathing. As anyone with any kind of breathing disorder knows, breathing is a gift that none of us should take for granted.

When God breathed into Adam, he gave his clay figurine more than life; he gave a reason to live: Worship! As the psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).

This means that we are wasting our breath whenever we use it for something that doesn’t honor the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Although we cannot blow life into a handful of dirt, we can use every breath to do the work of God in the world. We can speak words of comfort, sing songs of praise, and run to help the sick and oppressed. When we use our breath to honor our Creator with our unique combination of talents, abilities, and opportunities, we will never be wasting it. — Julie Ackerman Link (adapted from today's Our Daily Bread)

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do. —Hatch

The new Bible reading schedule begins on Sunday, 4 January.