Have you been sprinting on the treadmill of life without a pause? Perhaps you’re out of breath and exhausted. But maybe you feel like you have no choice but to keep pushing harder.

For some, that looks like pulling endless hours at a thankless job.

For others, breathless sprinting looks like sleepless nights with cranky, clingy little people.

For still others, it is caring for older parents, managing the home, looking for employment, figuring out the next steps of life, paying the bills, navigating singleness, or dealing with a chronic illness.

Or maybe, you’re breathless because of the merry-go-round of thoughts whirling about in your head: the “what if’s?” and “I should’s” leave us gasping for air.

Like you, I feel pulled in different directions. Responsibilities compete for space in my day. How can I manage the kids’ academic, sports, and music schedules, the husband’s work calendar, our church commitments, hosting people in our home, and my work all in one day? How can I eat right and prep my meals while also fitting in a workout and 10K steps in 24 hours? How can I stay connected with my friends so I can actually be a friend who doesn’t just text? Speaking of texts, when do I reply to the constant beeps and buzzes? When do I spend time with my parents and my extended family???

Let me admit, sometimes, I toss all of it up in the air and mindlessly scroll through Instagram instead. But that doesn’t help solve that sense of breathlessness. In fact, it often leaves me feeling like I need to do more so I be “enough.”

I don’t know if you’re breathless, overwhelmed, burdened, or anxious—or all of the above—but I pray that you experience a sweet nearness to Jesus as you set aside the busyness of life and learn to be still before Him.

Here’s the thing: The Lord has a call on your life.

But the first and highest call is to come and sit with Jesus. Come and linger. Come and savor. Come and behold. Come and delight.

Friends, may we not let the distractions and cares of the daily grind take us away from the gentle presence of Jesus. Your to-do’s can wait because Jesus is Someone you can’t do without.

We may be so busy with our Christian commitments that we sometimes leave Christ behind. Our ministries can take precedence over the Messiah.

But, if we don’t linger in His presence, we cannot lead for His Kingdom.

If you’re feeling breathless, then common sense dictates that you need to pause. In Scripture, God invites you to “be still and know” that He is God. Stillness alone is not enough. We also need to know that HE is God—and not us. That means, surrendering control. That means, we get off the treadmill and get on our knees before Him.

But perhaps some of us have been “sitting” in His presence for too long. Maybe we’re afraid to walk in the fullness of our calling—afraid of the sacrifices, the cost, or the rearranging of our priorities.

Yes, the call is to come and delight. But it is also to come and die.

We cannot remain seated because we’re also called to stir up the gifts and step out in faith.

How can you breathe out the goodness, love, and beauty of God?

Could it be to breathe out the goodness of the Lord in the toxic environment of our workplaces? Could it be to breathe out the love of the Lord into a strained relationship? Could it be to breathe out the beauty of the Lord in a creative project that you’ve put on the back burner?

It’s only when we exhale that we are ready to inhale again.

Reflect

What are some reasons you’re breathless? What is one practical way you can “breathe in” the presence of the Lord? What is one way the Lord has laid on your heart to breathe out His goodness, love, and beauty?

Lean In

Heavenly Father, Thank you that “down on my knees is the most high place.” Help me to breathe in Your Presence through the Holy Spirit. Help me to breathe out Your goodness and beauty for Your glory alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen

 

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