How many times did you breathe in the last minute?

How much thought did you put into each of those breaths?

At times our lives can seem like they last forever. When my daughter was born, I was not allowed to stay in the O.R. because apparently, they don’t allow that if they have to use full anesthesia. Instead, I waited in a hallway. Waiting…waiting…waiting. It seemed like forever until I was allowed to see my daughter. Time can seem to stretch sometimes. I’m pretty sure my kids think December lasts 3 or 4 months waiting for Christmas and, of course, 2020 was scientifically proven to have actually lasted 40 years.

Other times, time moves so quickly that life is a blur. Vacations never last long enough. Kids grow up too fast. That last piece of cheesecake disappears in seconds…though that one may have been a legitimate measure of time. 

Life is short…sort Of

We only have about 80-100 years and we aren’t even guaranteed that. Some lives are much shorter. However, even the longest of lives is only breath compared to eternity.

In Psalm 144, David is marveling at the fact that the eternal God is mindful of us creatures who only live for a moment. Not only is He mindful of us, but He loves us so much He was willing to send His Son to die for us. How amazing!

With the salvation He has won for us, Christ also gives us eternal life. Our earthly lives in these mortal, sinful bodies are still just a breath, but we will be raised again for all eternity.

How will you use those breaths?

It can be easy to become enamored with the things around us, but we need to remember that those things, too, are but a breath. They are here today and gone tomorrow. This is why Jesus urged us to build up treasures in heaven rather than on earth where rust and moths destroy it.

So, let’s use our breaths to glorify God. Let’s use them to speak life into the hearts of the lost. Let’s use them to build one another up in Christ.

Tomorrow, let’s gather together and lift up our voices, using those breaths to praise the name of the Lord, the one who gave us breath in the first place.

Amen!

Heavenly Father,

Who is man that You are mindful of him? Yet, You are. You care for the least of us and gave everything to save us. Thank You for this life. Thank You for the eternal life You have given me. Help me to use every breath to glorify You and proclaim Your salvation.

Amen.