Breath

Breath.

Each molecule of air matters.

"Breathe," says the Creator.

Living is a matter of obeying the above command.

How many molecules does it take to measure a life well lived or to build a legacy worth remembering? And yet, whether ill or well, life on earth is evidenced by breath.

God's breath . . .
. . . in us, over us, beside us, through us . . .

Breath in our nostrils . . .
Breath in our lungs . . .
Breath in our brains . . .

Breath . . . somewhere, everywhere, anywhere -- grace!

It is God's grace that grants breath at conception and sustains life from the cradle to the grave. It is the purview of grace that bestows air or life to all individuals for specific amounts of time: a few hours to some babies, 19 years to my cousin, 85 years to my Papi, 56 years to one brother of mine, 36 years to another brother of mine, 95 years to Nelson Mandela, 39 years to my friend . . . and however long each of us has left on this earth.

Each time a person breathes their last, there is a tremendous sense of loss for those left behind. I for one have gone through a litany of questions for each of the lives aforementioned. "What if?" or "Why now?" Yet in the economy of grace, there is no loss -- "To die is gain," (Philippians 1:21b, ESV).

What a counter-cultural way to look at death! The cessation of earthly breath is not dying; it is the continuation of God's breath filling our spiritual lungs, teaching us to truly breathe for eternity.

So breathe, I shall.

For His glory.
For His honor.