Breathe

Going through easy times for too long causes us to take things for granted. We tend to just put our heads down and go. It's really easy to roll along and to not notice the really good things in life, those special little things that really do make a difference in our lives.

On the flip side, going through a hard time can obliterate all of the good things in life. Maybe using the word obliterate is a little too strong. But tough times do make the good things seem invisible.

It seems to me like those two extremes, the hard times or the easy times, can control our every move if we let them. Some of you are probably thinking, “well, what's wrong with letting the easy times control us?”

This spring leading into summer has been an easy time for me. We've been building a little cabin to put our glass stuff in. Building or making something is fun for me. It's really easy to get caught up in that and just go. My normal style is to have lots of wild ideas, which makes everything take three times longer than it should. We've also been having a good many people blowing glass at our house. It's been fun but it keeps us busy as well. 

With all of that the summer has been slipping away. My canoe has dust on the rails. I haven't been looking for mushrooms or fishing hardly at all. It feels like I haven't been breathing as much as I should.

Maybe each particular individual thing really doesn't matter, but taking some time to  do them does.

Breathing isn't just taking in the air. It's a lot more than that. It's doing those little individual things that take time but don't really accomplish anything. Taking the time to listen to a bird's song. To look at a flower. To take in a deep breath and smell the honey locust bloom, or to take the time to sit and wait for deer to emerge in the evening. Taking a deep breath and noticing it as it fills your lungs.

Breathing is life. It helps us to recognize that there's a whole lot more out there than just the little part that we play. It helps us recognize that there is a Creator. Recognizing that there's a Creator helps us to know that we belong, that we're a part of it all.

Taking the time to do those things isn't easy. It won't happen unless I'm intentional about doing it. 

Easy times or hard times won't make it happen either.

It would be easy to say that I don't have the time. It would be easy for you to say that too.

But it isn't true.

It only takes a minute. I'm sure that you have one.

So step out of the mire and just breathe!