What if Christ were so central to our lives He became our very breath? Everything would depend on Him just as everything depends on our ability to breathe in and breathe out. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Jesus was so essential to our lives living for Him became as natural and effortless as breathing?
The Holy Spirit of God infuses our body. He is not an add-on, but rather an integrated part of all we are. He adds no weight and is indeed as light as the air we breathe. Because of this, communing with Christ can be as natural and easy as breathing in and breathing out.
Each time you take a breath, think of breathing in the power, the goodness, and the peace of Jesus. Everything that was His, he has given to us. While we already possess all of Him, we can use each inhale to remind us of the Spirit breathed into our souls. Try it now. Take a long, slow breath. As you do, concentrate on the attributes of Christ. Focus on breathing in His love, His compassion, His forgiveness, and His mercy. Take another breath as you contemplate being filled with kindness, peace, joy, patience, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Perhaps you could focus on one of these each time you breathe. This can turn into a wonderful habit. As a bonus, it’s guaranteed to deliver you from a self-centered or negative outlook.
Now, here’s the payoff. Every time you exhale, you need to breathe out one or more of the attributes you previously inhaled. When you are hurt by a friend, breathe out forgiveness before saying a word. Should you come across someone in need, breathe out love. Seriously, before you pass them by, focus on breathing out the love of Christ and pay attention to the action that will come to your mind. Then, do it. Whatever it is, just do it without hesitation or second-guessing yourself. You are breathing out love. The best part is you can never run out of anything you breathe out because, with the next breath, you can breathe in more of the same from the inexhaustible supply of Jesus.
Breathing Christ will change your life. It will slow you down. It will open your eyes to both the beauty and tragedy surrounding you. If we’ll take the time to develop this discipline, we will experience life as Christ intended us to live. It will be a life focused on Him and His amazing glory. You will find yourself living in constant awe as you regularly reflect on all He is. You will discover true contentment as your every word and action will be following a breath of God’s goodness and character. And you will find yourself truly becoming His hands and feet.
You can begin breathing Christ slowly. Try it for a minute. Get alone and just breathe. Focus on each inhale and exhale. Breathe Him in and breathe Him out. Perhaps lengthen the time as you become accustomed to this new habit. Then use it as often as you can remember throughout your day. Breathing Christ will help us live at a pace more in tune with our God and at odds with the world. That seems like a pretty good trade to me. Try it for yourself and let me know how it changes the way you see the world.