It's Time to Take a Breath

[HKHaugan]

It’s Time to Take a Breath

Every once in a while, we just need to stop and take a breath. This is especially true when we’re faced with being an image of God in the valley of choice and decision. Follow me in this:

 Spiritual

The foundation of everything is spiritual. The reason is simple. God is the Creator of both the visible and invisible universe and God is Spirit (Jn.4:24). Therefore, to begin understanding anything and everything we have to start spiritually. The visible was born in the invisible. Spirituality is the invisible understanding of visible reality. Having a spiritual outlook, a spiritual worldview, a spiritual mindset opens us to the priority of building a spiritual mind to build the spiritual attitude that drives the spiritual motivation behind personal and relational existence. The individual human being is the core concern in the world and universe in which we dwell. The individual human being was created by God to be His image. And, each human being is given a quadruple focus, to look inward, upward, outward and forward. Jesus is the perfect example of these four in balance. He is the revelation of God from God for God to God with God in God by God through God.

 Spiritually means to start with the realization that 100% of everything we do is motivated by what we can’t see, spiritual reality. Motivation itself is an invisible part of an invisible process of choice and decision. Life is an invisible reality. Even if it is in a biological and physical body, the force behind how the body works is invisible. What you can’t see is more real than what we can see since that is the motivator of the physical. The very activity of writing this article is the unseen process of thought, reason and evaluation to which I add inspiration, that which initiates the activity itself. The root word being ‘spirit.’

 Personal

Speaking of inspiration, the very idea of an invisible reality sparking the beginning of anything means it has a spiritual base. That very fact makes us spiritual beings and our bodies spiritually designed for self-conscious and relational experience. Spirituality is key to our very existence and the very thing that is not dealt with openly and sincerely in any corridor of power and influence, except as a virtue of tolerance but not cause and effect in policy. That presents us with another aspect of what we as believers in Jesus are called to do when it comes to being witnesses. It is so easy to get involved in things we can’t control. That is, we can obsess over national, economic and cultural issues which can distract us from the real nature of what it means to be a witness. How much of our time and energy is consumed in media-originated, media-driven agenda, agenda designed to be upset, follow their lead and get all worked up about issues we can’t control? Guess who, besides media executives and personnel, thrives on this absorption? The devil, you betcha. It’s time and energy away from witnessing and sharing God’s love. It’s time and energy leading to depression and anger. It’s time and energy building frustration and anxiety. If our personal focus is Jesus several things happen in our mind, heart and spirit. First, we know that God is in control and His will prevails in spite of mankind’s continuing sinfulness and imperfection. Second, we shift our activity from generalities to specifics, from world issues to local relationships, from being in control to letting God control our moments. Third, we move into Scripture and let it direct us from one event to the next, one person to the next, one day to the next.

 Relational

Think relationally. It takes three moves. First, think God. Preface every next encounter with God-conscious intention. Second, think others. Every moment is really a relational moment. If it’s not God, it’s others. Third, think self. The first two produce the real self. The self emerges when we connect outside ourselves. The false self is when you and I think of ourselves first. Jesus’ mission was all three. He thought of His Father first which meant doing His Father’s will. Second, His Father’s will was loving of others. This was Jesus’ self-discovery. He grew in wisdom and stature with God and men and was baptized somewhere around 30 years of age. His choice was His mind at work, His decision was His heart at work and His Baptism was His Spirit at work.

 The Bible is the source of and guide for spiritual thinking. Why? Because it was and is inspired by God. In Scripture we have a lot of inspired, ‘spiritually-breathing’ people sharing God’s thoughts about Himself and His people. From Noah on through the Prophets, and finally on to the Gospels and Epistles through Revelation; there they are. Inspiration in Greek is theopneustos, God-breathed (theos, God and pneustos, spirited), thus literally, spiriting is breathing. So, when you’re inspired, you’re spiritually breathing. How is your inspiration going, your spiritual respiratory system? It’s time to take a breath!

 Breathing exercises: Zech.4:6, John 16:5-15, Rom.8:1-17, 12:1-8, 1Cor.12:1-11, Eph.4:7-13