We all breath but not all of us breath. Wait, what? Yes, it’s true we all get the basis down but not all of us breath in a way that we should. I think we could learn a lot from newborns. From that moment we are born everyone in the room waits for that first breath that leads to that wonderful sound of the first cry. As newborns we use our nostrils and full belly breath but as we grow, we start to use our mouths and chest breath, then wonder why we have a lot of problems.

When I first started to practice yoga, long before I learned to teach it all I heard from my teacher was no mouth breathing in his class. Yes, there’s times when you do use your mouth in yoga but maybe that can be for a different blog. At first it was hard for me to move with my breath and only use my nose but over time I came to love the feel of movement with my breath, the expansion of my ribs as air filled all of my lungs into the full belly breath.

Now, as a yoga teacher I have the pleasure of helping others see the value of the breath. I find it so amazing that this what seems so simple and helps every part of our body function at its best from neurological, reducing anxiety or stress to digestion, blood pressure and even aiding in reduction of some decease, is forgotten or overlooked until we are having problems. I only named a few things our breath helps with, but the list goes on and what I find amazing is that the very beginning of man in

Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

I love how the new international version says it, God formed a man, like no one to special just a man formed from dust, but it took the very breath of God to become the man a living being, a person with a purpose. The is used when talking about something of particular, a is used when talking about something in a general, notice the differance?

When we start to forget to breath our bodies feel it and show signs of problems and if we don’t stop and realize it then our bodies will let us know in a big way. Getting so busy with life that we forget the very thing that enables us to live. The very breath of God that gave us life, he wants to be that full breath that gives life to every part of our bodies as we move through life and learn to breath with him in our movements. He was there when we took our first breath and he will be there when we take our last but it’s the middle of it all that he is waiting and wanting to be there for, if we only allow him to be. He won’t push, no that is true love. Infact he will let us breath our shallow mouth breathing not living the full life he breathed into us to be.

O, we can do something about it and it’s so simple too. All we need to do is like when I started learning yoga, listen to the teacher, invite him in letting his air fill our lungs and learn how to breath with him in our movements.

I loved playing hide and seek with my children when they were little. My son was the champ. He had a huge imagination, could fit in any place and this usually energetic louder than most children would become still and a mute. My daughter would get so mad that she couldn’t find him. She would call and call looking everyplace she could think of and still could not find him.

I must confess that I loved the fact that he would hide so well. I would take that time to have a much-needed break or yes even eat a cookie with out the fear of being found out.

After a very nice break I would join in the fun and look for my son . Most of the time I could find him with ease but on a few occasions I would need to call his name with a promise we would close our eyes if he would just come out. He then so stealthy would appear, sometimes I never did find out where he was.

How many times do we feel like we are playing hide and seek with God.

We walk around calling and calling out looking for him and getting mad and even sad because we can not find him. We keep up the search but still nothing. We know he must be there but in times of our valleys it is as God is someplace off hiding that can never be found. We feel alone and wonder why.

If only during this time we STOP our exhausting search, call out and be still. God will show himself. He will never leave us but we are the ones that walk around in search getting more upset and forgetting that He is with us all along.

The Bible is full of this frantic search from old to new testament so many examples of  people in their valleys and then God shows himself and comforts.

We just celebrated Easter and I am reminded of Thomas who gets a bum rap for not believing Jesus was alive. Thomas was overcome with grief and had to hear all others talk of seeing Jesus now that would have left me feeling left out, mad and perhaps wondering where Jesus was and why if he was alive he didn’t just come out and show himself.

In John 20:26 We see Thomas not searching but was still and in a room when Jesus came to him. Jesus knew what Thomas needed and showed up in a big way and gave it to him. I also found that in verse 28 it is the first time recorded that Jesus is addressed as “My Lord and my God” this was said by Thomas he realized what we all sometimes forget.

Next time you are feeling alone and thinking you need to keep searching just stop, breath and know God is there just ask him to show himself but the trick is to wait until he does.

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”

Isaiah 55:6

I have always been in awe of children and how they think. As my own children grew, I was in constant wonderment. I now get to see in my grandsons grow and again I am in awe of their little minds. I think back to a time when my oldest old grandson was four and smile at how he was always so independent.

He always has loved to take charge and give a helping hand, no job has ever been too big, or too small. In his mind he has always been able to do anything a grown up can do and in fact because of this attitude he flourishes when he has challenges.

It was this kind of thinking that brings me to blog about him today and think back to a young independent four-year-old.

My daughter was taking a quick shower because as any mom with little ones knows when they are sleeping you are lucky to have a few minutes to yourself. She is about done when she hears the sound of a vacuum coming from down stairs throwing on her robe and running down the stairs she sees her four-year old vacuuming the tile floor in the kitchen and so much yellow sticky liquid she was surprised she did not fall or that he didn’t get electrocuted.

He smiles up at her as she enters. He turns it off standing so proud begins to tell her that he got up, wanted apple juice and decided to pour it for himself but the juice was to full he spilled it on the floor but not to worry because he cleaned it up. To him he had taken care of it. It wasn’t until he went to walk and got sticky did he realize it. My daughter finished cleaning it up, took apart the vacuum so it would dry out  and was thankful he didn’t short out the vacuum or get shocked.

So many times we are like Milo, we think no problem is to big for us to handle it on our own or we don’t need to bother God with it because we can do it ourselves. Instead of taken care of it we are left with a sticky dripping mess and a miracle that we didn’t harm our self. If only when things come up if we just stop and ask for help.

As funny and precious as this is and I do laugh at it. I can take away with this thought of so much heart ache and extra work could have been avoided in my life if only I would have stopped and asked for help.  I can be stubborn and have a take on anything attitude perhaps Milo has a touch of me after all.

I am learning that so much of the heart ache and problems could have been avoided if I would have stopped and prayed and how God sees us wishes we would have waited or asked for help but the best part is He doesn’t condemn but helps us move forward taking care of the mess as only He can.

Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Hebrews 4:15-16

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I had discontentment ring my door bell a few weeks ago. I answered and instead of saying no thank you like I would to an unwarranted solicitor I smiled, opening the door wide welcoming them in as an old friend. I hadn’t let them visit in a while but I thought a visit wouldn’t hurt.

Well, the visit lasted for month or so. I have been so dissatisfied with so many things in my life. I welcomed discontentment and now it has become a nice pity party by now. I thought that with the way things in my life have been why not. All the times in the past I would answer the door when discontentment came around but instead of letting them in I would sail past on my way out going for a run, upon my return my visitor would be gone. I had a clear head and a heart full of contentment.

I am not able to run now so I had thought I had every right to throw a big discontentment themed pity party, I went all out. I think my party could have been Pinterest worthy but as with any visitor that can outstay their welcome, I realize discontentment had to go. I showed them to the door yesterday and felt so much better for it. I had a lot of cleaning up, the thing about allowing discontentment in is it makes a huge mess of things, and you forget all the great things life has to offer.

I know that they will be back, but the funny thing is that I may not be able to run past and leave them in the dust but what I can do now is just look through the peephole and then not answer.

1 Timothy 6:6-8 & 11

“6) But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ”

“11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

I remember the first time I felt my daughter move. I was so young just coming back from the doctor and siting on my bed in the sun thinking of how I didn’t plan for this pregnancy, but I would do all I could to make sure the little one I carried would be healthy.

I was thinking more or less of the pregnancy as my duty and coming to terms with such a life changing event but almost on cue a soft movement so slightly it was just a flutter but enough to change my attitude from duty to love and how I would move heaven and earth to protect and keep this little one safe. I held my small but growing abdomen no longer basking in the sun but was shining with such love like I never felt before.

At that moment I was not thinking I love this little one for who they would be one day but simply, I just loved them.

Many of us have felt that overwhelming can’t put into words kind of love. To love someone not for who they are or will be but to simple love them. To love them in the here and now not the person they will become.

As great of love that this is, I believe that can’t even hold a candle to Gods love for us. As we celebrate this holy week and on Easter Sunday. I reflect on this simple concept that God just loves us for us not the people we will be one day if we try hard enough but that He just loves us.

We over think things but let’s just keep it simple, we are loved just for us where we are at right now.

Romans 5:8 ” But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

Yes! Spring is here, at least on the calendar. I can smell and see the early signs of spring; the trees are starting to bud; the early flowers have made their way through the soil and are blooming. Even with all this early activity I can’t help but wonder is spring really here to stay or will winter make a comeback?

Will the snow once again blanket the ground instead of the flowers and grass? Will the weather stay a wonderful temperature of not too hot but just that nice mellow warm of in-between summer and winter? As I wonder about the season, we are just starting to enter I find myself mirroring that same feeling for myself. I feel the urge of new life within me, as though I’m starting to come back to life from the winter of ups and downs of cancer. I feel the excitement of new possibilities and zest for life like never before. As though fear has nothing on cancer so why not truly seize the day and truly live while I can. Then the thoughts of will the cancer come back or a secondary one be found?

These back-and-forth thoughts of mine are just as fickle as the weather in early spring, but I know I’m not alone. You don’t have to have cancer to hear the whispers of self-doubt. We all have them, from relationships, career and living out our dreams. Those whispers can keep us from living the life we are meant to live. The whispers of winter can keep you thinking it last forever, that the promise of new life will never come. So, maybe what we need to do is treat those whispers of fear the same way as being followed because those whispers can take your life just like the stranger if left unchecked.

The first is…

Keep calm, acknowledge what’s happening. I know this can be hard, but you can’t ever see the bottom of the pan when the water is boiling, you need it to cool down first.

Pay attention, take those thoughts captive, be alert, don’t let the fear consume you. Don’t just go through life and let thoughts consume you. Be in charge of them, like 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Ask for help, Prayer is a big one for me. You can also find someone you trust to confide in because sometimes those whispers are nothing more than a kitty with a very big shadow following you and when spoken out loud you are able to see the truth.

Spring may seem to be on hold BUT it’s still coming, and I can look forward to new life no matter what the calendar or scans say.

Isaiah 43:19

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland