Genesis 2:7
Psalm 150 One of the things theologian, professor, and author Jack Levison highlights is how “ruach” (in Hebrew) is both “spirit” and “breath”. (It’s also breeze and gust…it can be big or small). He says, in essence, to breathe is to commune with God. Breath and Spirit are so interconnected that he prefers to read “spirit-breath” any time either appears in the English scriptures. He wants us to be
reminded that to breathe is to connect with God’s spirit of life.
If we think about it, breathing is both voluntary and involuntary. There’s mindless involuntary breathing. The kind we do while we’re sleeping or just going about our day. We’re busy with other things, so we don't have much headspace to think about it, and fortunately, we don’t have to. Involuntary breathing gives us life. It’s needed, but it isn’t really something that we care about (other than that it keeps us alive).
But then there is voluntary breathing. It is intentional and often meaningful. We’re often most mindful when we’re exercising, or pushing through pain, or trying to calm down in a moment of stress. We use slow, intentional, voluntary breaths to help us catch our breath and to ease our fears, minimize pain, and center ourselves. In these ways breathing does more than giving us life, it (re)connects us with life. It reminds us to be intentional. It often restores some balance in our system. It offers us gifts of comfort, peace, centeredness, and focus.
And in similar ways, there are involuntary and voluntary connections to the divine.
God’s spirit-breath is out there--present to us--our life-source whether we are paying attention or not. When we breathe in we connect with the divine. Whether we are paying attention to God or not. That’s what the Hebrew scriptures teach us. Ruach, the spirit breath, is all around us and we need it to survive. It is the source of life and a part of every breath. I don’t know about for you, but for me, that’s not what I’ve been taught about connecting with God. I’ve been taught it takes work. Lots of work. God can feel elusive and hard to find. Difficult to connect with. And yet this concept of Spirit breath makes it so simple...so easy. Do you want to connect with God? Then focus on your breath. Make it conscious. Intentional. Slow down. And focus. It can be that simple. And yet wonderfully profound.
Breathe in. Breathe out. And you make yourself aware of your connection to God. Could it be that simple?
Oddly, the part of me that’s been in the church forever says “no, it can’t be that simple. God moments aren’t that easy to come by.” I’ve experienced God in big and profound and marked ways in my life and breathing in and breathing out has not been the simple ticket. But the part of me that knows that God is all around us, and believes God’s spirit-breath is in us says, “maybe so.” Maybe encountering God is as easy as breathing. And when I say that something starts to crack open inside of me. Like someone has been holding us all hostage to this notion that God doesn’t really want to be reached and that’s why it’s so dang hard to feel God or hear from God or know God. But what if God really is so ready to connect with us that it happens in every breath we take? And if we want to engage in that relationship all we have to do is pay attention and start breathing with our head and heart, not just our body?
I want us to think about that. I want us to wrestle with that. I’ve been practicing this spirit-breath consciousness thing for about 3 weeks and lots of time it just feels like breathing. But in thinking about breathing I’ve also taken note of the times it’s most important to focus on my breath…when I’m stressed and anxious or afraid…what do I do? …but try and breathe intentionally and slowly? And when I’m in a lot of pain, the kind of pain that stops you in your tracks, what do I do? but breathe…try and pull in my breath…all the way to the depth of my pain and push out some of the worst of it. And when I’m hard at work (exercising and pushing myself to be stronger and better and healthier), what do I do, but focus on my breath.
And aren’t those the times we need to call on God the most…when we’re anxious or afraid, when we’re in terrible pain when we’re pushing ourselves to go further than we have before? Isn’t that when we really need to connect with God? And what if it’s happening as we draw in deep breaths, strong and full, belly breaths…what if God is there in each and every one?
God is available to us with every spirit breath. We can leave it all on automatic, paying God no never mind. Or, we can focus and intentionally slow down, call on God, and seek the gift of connection. Amen.