Don't Forget to Breathe

"None sing hymns to breath. But oh, to be without it." -Lord of Light

"Nor is (God) served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and BREATH and everything."

Breathe in. Good. Now breathe out. Wonderful. Think about what just happened. You breathed. Not a big deal, right? We do it all the time. Oxygen comes into our lungs, goes out in our blood cells, and goes to our cells all over the body, and then we exhale CO2, which is bad, and this keeps going, and so we live. (Okay, if I remember my Magic School Bus, that is how it works when we breathe. If that is wrong, then I am stupid and apologize, but my point is still valid.) How often do we stop and thank God for giving us breath? How often do we recognize this as an amazing manifestation of his grace and love. Just simply to breathe.
How about before a rainstorm, when the air is charged. Think about a cool autumn day, crisp air filling your lungs. Biting cold in the middle of winter, you can feel the air going deep and see it come back out. Or simply emerging from a stuffy room out into the clear night to get fresh air. Breathing is amazing. In fact, I will honestly say that one of my favorite things to do is breathe. Just sit back, in a meadow or by some body of water, close my eyes, and breathe.
But days wear on and they take their toll. Before we know it we are rushing from one thing to another. There is always something to worry about, someone to please, and so we lose sight of breath. We still are breathing, but we just don't notice it. One of those tiny miracles we take for granted. No one celebrates breathing, but to be without it is torture.
So here is my honest plea to all of you out there who happen to read this (which I think is at one person right now), please, don't forget to breathe. Don't forget that you are breathing. Notice it, enjoy it, and above all, praise the Lord that you are breathing.
It is something more than utilitarian. Just some method our body uses to keep us alive. It is a gift from God.

God, thank you for the gift of breathing.