Take a Deep Breath!

Take a Deep Breath!

There was a time, upon hearing that Dave had very serious cancer, when I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Every time I thought about the possibility that he would be gone from me, it felt like someone had stolen all of the air from my lungs. I didn’t seem to know how to get more! Do you remember that moment in your own experience? Perhaps it was the first time you heard the word “terminal”. Or maybe it was that discussion with an oncologist that included the phrase “There’s nothing more we can do.” It may have been, in your case, an official coming to the door to inform you of a tragic accident. Whatever the circumstances were, there was likely that moment of feeling like you could not take the next breath. The loss can be so overwhelming that we literally forget to breathe!

Did you know that there have been studies done that show the impact on the body of deep, slow breathing? Being intentional about taking in air can strengthen your heart, slow down aging, increase your energy, improve digestion, and contribute to your overall well-being. Who doesn’t want that?

In the midst of grief, we tend to take shallow breaths that only reach our upper bodies! We may not even realize that maybe our headaches, back pain, indigestion, or depression could be caused by a simple lack of oxygen! Remember that oxygen powers our bodies and keeps our cells healthy! So, take a deep breath…lots of deep breaths!

Let’s think for a moment about this idea of breath.

Genesis 2:7 – “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed

into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God breathed into man, and he became a living soul. Breath means so much more than just intake and expulsion of air! Our breath is our very life – in fact, the very life of God in us! Because God is immortal, and His breath never dies, it stands to reason that His breath in me never dies! That’s a thought that gives us a great deal of hope when we’re in a relationship with Him.

In addition to taking deep breaths, there’s something else we can do. Did you realize that laughing actually increases your intake of air? We’ve all experienced those times when we laughed and laughed until we could barely breathe. There’s a reason we call those “belly laughs”! That kind of laughter causes us to take huge, gulping breaths so that we can keep laughing…because we generally can’t stop!

If you find yourself laughing like this when you think you should be feeling sad and grieving, just let the laughter come. God has intended for it to be healing to your body. Proverbs 17:22 tells us the following: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

The temptation during a season of grieving the loss of a spouse is to feel guilty for experiencing any joy, or any urge to laugh. It’s important to remember that our spouses would have wanted us to go on with life, to rebuild, and to thrive joyfully. Laughter was created by God in order to help heal our body, soul, and spirit. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says that there is a time to cry and a time to laugh. You will know when it’s time to laugh again.

There’s another very important reason for us to keep breathing and laughing. It has to do with how the world around us – our family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers – views us, and how we manage grief. It often seems that it’s up to those of us who are experiencing the grief to also do the educating for everyone else! However, they are watching. Some are wondering how we will respond to the loss. Some are wondering where our God is in the midst of our pain. Some are thinking about how they will cope when they face a similar loss.

Proverbs 31:25 – “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.”

This is the example we want to set for others. Strength and dignity, not fearing the future because we are deeply trusting that God will care for us in the days ahead.

There are many commands in the Bible that we read literally hundreds of times, but never quite see them as commands. Here’s one that might challenge you:

Psalms 150:6 – “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

I leave you with this thought today. Keep breathing! And as long as you have breath keep praising! It will bring health to your body, and healing to your mind and spirit. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome here in the comments, or you can email me at sheryl@freshhope.us. If you’re looking for a new purpose and a pathway to move ahead, please consider joining one of our Refocusing Widows groups, either in person or online. We look forward to meeting you!