One Breath
Have you ever heard the saying, take one day at a time? Me too! In fact, I've probably said it. I must say that it is good advice, in general. But as caregivers, there are some days that life hurls one thing after another like it's going for the kill shot. When we have those kinds of overwhelming days, we learn to take one breath at a time.
I don't have to explain to you how there can be so many things going on at one time. Sometimes, I feel like I am a master juggler! LOL. Put this thing off until tomorrow, so this other thing can get done today in this particular time slot. And so the chaos continues. Day after day. And of course, everything feels important - because it is. But we learn to juggle and jiggle and rearrange to get done what simply can't be missed. I'm worn out just thinking about it. Lol.
Recently, the days have felt a little busier, and when that happens, it's easy to feel like we're getting sucked in and under. But our doom is NOT to be crushed. We must take one breath at a time. That's how we've made it through some of life's toughest spots.
Breathing is a sign of life. It's the first thing a first responder looks for on the scene of an emergency call. Are they breathing? If not, they must start the recusation process. Breathing is first and foremost a necessity. So, what are we to do when it feels like life is sucking the breath out of us?
Take it one breath at a time. That is all we have to handle. That's all we have to do. Breathe.
Taking deep breaths actually has health benefits. It calms our parasympathetic nervous system down and silently tells our heart and brain that all is well. (Even if it's not.) Taking slow breaths helps us focus and brings us back down out of flight or fight mode.
But have you ever thought about this? When God created mankind by shaping him out of dirt, with His own hands, He breathed one breath into Adam and he became a living soul. He needed but one breath to live. And we don't have any account of God doing that again. This suggests to me that all mankind is still being sustained by that one breath that God breathed into Adam. That's food for thought.
Today, I'll remind myself to breathe. And while I am taking each breath, I will think about how I am sustained by the one breath God breathed into man. I will shift my focus from making it one breath at a time to the one breath God gave. A single breath from God is still holding us together. It was that one breath that set the entire ecosystem into a life-sustaining cycle that would continue to this day. That's a big, powerful God. I'm pretty sure I can trust Him for one more day to breathe. Will you join me?
____________________________________________
Affirmations for Caregivers
Comments
Post a Comment