The title of this post may sound familiar to you. There was a movie by the same name a few years ago (1995). I didn’t see the movie and I don’t know what it was about, but I remember the title. It popped into my head as I was thinking about what I was going to write for this edition of Life Matters.
If that seems to you like a strange thing to suddenly pop into one’s head, I should let you know a couple of things. First of all, one should never be surprised at anything that pops into this increasingly gray head. Secondly, it didn’t pop without a trigger. I have for the past few months been reading through a Psalm per day in my morning devotional time. This morning was Psalm 150 and it ends with these words:
Many mornings as I spend time contemplating the Word of the Lord, I enjoy posting to Facebook and Twitter a portion of scripture along with a few words of my own reflection. This morning I posted the whole Psalm along with these words, “I am breathing, so I need to be praising.” I thought it was pretty good, though I might be alone in that assessment. I had a picture in mind of inhaling the presence of the Lord and exhaling His praise.
Then I left the house. Work interrupted my day off. Thoughts began creeping in of some of the difficult situations that are a part of my current reality. Even the “to do” list that I intended for my day off began to seem like just a series of tedious events. And to top it all off, I needed to find a place and time to compose this post.
As I sat in a local business that offers free internet (technology is so awesome!), I started this contemplation … my intent on leaving the house was to be exhaling His praise throughout the day. Oops! Apparently, I have been waiting to exhale. Waiting until I knocked out the “to do” list. Waiting until I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed … or interrupted … or distracted … or …
So, while the folks around me may not know it, God is getting a pretty good dose of my praise right here in this corner booth. There is so much about the life He has given me that should inspire that praise. I feel like I have taken one of those “deep cleansing breaths” that I have heard about. Now that I’m breathing again, a car inspection and a lawnmower await. And I am so glad He has provided both.
