Originally written in 2022 – Published 2024
Laugh and Breathe
These were the words I picked for this year. – Laugh…and Breathe – I felt like I needed to relearn how to back off and just enjoy life as it’s happening again. As it always seems to go, life happens in such a way to make it a challenge.
One part of trying to laugh and breathe is simply (trying) not to stress because I can’t get to everything. I’ve tried to simplify in many areas to make it easier to just breathe and enjoy life. In other words, allow space mentally and physically to rest and enjoy life around me.
There is a piece of this that seems opposite and counterintuitive to our finite minds and hearts. But to be able to enjoy life and rest through it, we have to do several things. Here are some of them.
Gratitude, Thanksgiving
I found several tidbits in Elisabeth Elliot’s book Suffering in Never for Nothing that helped me sort and keep my priorities in learning to laugh and breathe through life. In her chapter on Gratitude in the Face of Suffering she lists 3 things as part of it.
1. Gratitude and acceptance distinguish the Christian.
2. Gratitude honors God.
3. Thanksgiving can prepare the way for God to show us His salvation.
For me, I can practice gratitude and accept where I am in life, trusting that He is in control.
Offering, obedience, suffering
Whatever I am dealing with; whatever suffering it is, I can turn to Him in obedience (I Samuel 15:22 to obey is better than sacrifice) and offer it to Him. “Lord, here it is. I can’t handle this.” (Elisabeth Elliot Suffering is Never for Nothing). We turn over our problems and suffering to the One who can handle them.
I love the example she gives using the little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus. “If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it may be because pieces will feed a multitude when a loaf would satisfy only a little boy.” It puts a whole different perspective on suffering and dealing with life.
So how do I go on? “Pray and do the next thing.” (Elisabeth Elliot Suffering in Never for Nothing)
Mindset shift
Another book I am currently reading is I’m That Girl by Pearl Barrett & Serene Allison. Part of what they are talking about is how our thoughts and words affect our bodies and attitude. In the book, they reference a study by Dr. Masaru Emoto from Japan. He did experiments with sound, thoughts, and water. Now our bodies are over 70% water, so it applies to our health, too. By using powerful microscopes, high-speed photography, and a very cold room he was able to show the changes in water based on the words or sounds directed at it. “Water exposed to loving words and thoughts showed complex, brilliant, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, samples exposed to negative communication formed incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with lifeless colors.”
Fascinating, to see science show us what the Bible has always said. James 3 starts by talking about the power of the tongue and how it is so hard to control. In verse 10 he says “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers these things ought not to be so.” To correct this we must have our minds renewed by Christ (Romans 12:2) and then think about the true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
God’s word is our sword (Ephesians 6:17). Some thoughts from the book…”A sword cannot protect, defend, or defeat if it is not used.” We have to use God’s word; we have to speak it.
How often do we read scripture and agree with it but don’t apply it to ourselves?
Here’s an example – Psalm 1:1 says “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked (ungodly)…” Our minds can house ungodly counsel and we cannot walk in that (go back to Philippians 4:8 for godly counsel). We need to be careful and allow only the godly, wise counsel into our minds and “toss the junky, ungodly stuff out.”
Another fascinating sciencey (yes, I’m aware of spelling and grammar) tidbit. Brain imaging has revealed that our thoughts become literal physical matter (proteins) which resemble trees in form. Psalm 29:5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks (splinters) the cedars of Lebanon. God’s word can break those heavily rooted trees of negative thought patterns.
Obtain Joy and Gladness (and why I can laugh and breathe)
Isaiah 51:11 tells us “they shall obtain gladness and joy.” You don’t obtain something without working and striving for it. Also, we don’t break (thought) habits without working at them. But how do we do this?
Start speaking scripture to yourself. Following the model and some examples from the book, tell yourself
I’m that girl…
who is redeemed from the hand of the enemy (Psalm 107:2)
is born of God…and the wicked one does not touch (me) (I John 5:18)
obtains gladness and joy (Isaiah 51:11)
who will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)
who the gates of hell will not prevail against (Matthew 16:18)
So, what were some lies I had in my head? And yes I am still rooting them out and finding more.
I’m not a musician because I can’t play flawlessly…because I prefer to play and sing Hymns and worship music…because I can’t name the chords I hear…because I can’t play by ear… NO…I am a musician because God made me one.
I’m not a good mother because I don’t work (outside the home)…I don’t run a home-based business (since I don’t work elsewhere)…I can’t run hard all the time (my body won’t let me but that’s beside the point)… No…I am a good mother because I love and care for them and help them as best I can.
Yes, there are more, but you get the idea and probably can put some of your own in there. It’s amazing how Satan can twist things and feed them to us. Because that is the source of such thoughts.
We need to make God’s voice our voice. That is how we straighten out those thoughts and fix our thought patterns. It doesn’t happen by chance, it takes purposeful action on our part; it takes prayer; it takes studying, memorizing, and repeating scripture.
Learn to laugh and breathe and be that girl who makes God’s voice her voice.
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