Do we ever really stop to reflect on the air that we breathe? Or do we just take it for granted?

Air is the first essential need of life on earth. Besides the need for oxygen in the air for breathing, air plays an important role in human life and nature. All living beings, plants and animals are dependent on air for the generation of life energy. The same air that gives life to and sustains humans gives life to and sustains the rest of Creation.

In the busyness, the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to overlook the simple act of breathing. Yet, scripture remind us of the sacredness in every breath we take. In Silver Linings, Terry Lees reminds us of our commonality with all living things, and of the fact that all life comes from and is sustained by God.

Listen to the episode below, or continue on to read the transcript.

Episode Transcript:

Following a stay in hospital and upon discharge, a 93-year-old man was asked to pay for the cost of a respirator for a day. The old man began to cry. The doctor urged him not to cry over the account. What the old man said, made all the doctors cry. He said, “I do not cry for the money I have to pay, because I can afford it. I cry because I’ve been breathing God’s air for 93 years, yet I have never paid for it. It takes $786 to use the respirator in hospital for a day. Do you know how much I owe God? I have never thanked God for breath before.”

Do we ever really stop to reflect on the air that we breathe? Or do we just take it for granted?

The words of the old man deserve reflection. When we breathe freely, we don’t take the air seriously. Only when admitted to a hospital, and are placed on an oxygen respirator, do we discover that even breathing oxygen with an artificial respirator costs money!

We breathe in and out every few seconds. It happens naturally, without a second thought. Just as we can’t see God, we cannot see the air we breathe. Yet, we know it is there, just as we know God is here. It’s called faith. If the air wasn’t there, we’d very soon know about it – we’d stop breathing.
Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh wrote: “Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.”

Air is the first essential need of life on earth. Besides the need for oxygen in the air for breathing, air plays an important role in human life and nature. All living beings, plants and animals are dependent on air for the generation of life energy. The same air that gives life to and sustains humans gives life to and sustains the rest of Creation. The animals that inhabit this planet with us breathe the same air we do. Plants, likewise, draw in and benefit from the same air. This is a reminder of our commonality with all living things, and of the fact that all life comes from and is sustained by God.

God is the designer and giver of the breath of life. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, it is written: “… the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” [Genesis 2:7]. Isaiah 42:5 reminds that God gives breath to the people on this earth. It says that God, “. . . gives breath to its people.” We are children of God, made in the image of God, with God’s breath in our lungs and God’s love in our hearts.

We can hear speech or noise only in the presence of air, as air is a good conductor of sound. Without air, we do not or cannot hear sounds. Even musical instruments make use of resonance and bass with the alteration of air and sound combination.

Air supports the water cycle. Water from the soil, oceans, and seas is evaporated due to Sun’ s heat and form clouds. These clouds travel on to the land surface, get cooled by air and shower as rain. This rainwater again reaches the sea and oceans. Thus, air helps in the transfer or movement of clouds towards the land and cools them to shower as rain. Air helps in pollination of crops. In pollination, pollen travels from male to female flowers. The pollen is carried and spread by the wind. Air then helps in cross-pollination in plants.

Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “Every breath that passes through me, envelops me, or captivates me, emanates, without any doubt, from the heart of God; like a subtle and essential energy, it transmits the pulsations of God’s will.”

In the busyness, the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to overlook the simple act of breathing. Yet, scripture remind us of the sacredness in every breath we take. We are invited to appreciate the miraculous nature of life and the spiritual connection we share with the divine.

As we take in breath be thankful for every breath – a divine gift. Each gulp of air is a gift from God and an extension of God. Every breath is a reminder that God desires for us to enjoy life and to enjoy God and creation. The wind we feel and the air we breathe are perpetual reminders of God’s goodness and love. For these ongoing reminders let us all give thanks.

The purpose of life is to live it. It is a gift. Each day is a new day that’s never been lived before. Life is wonderful. We have a divine fire within us. We reach for the stars. We dream of the infinite. We have God’s breath in our lungs and God’s love in our hearts.

The Book of Psalms says: Let everything that has breath give praise to the LORD! [Psalm 150:6].

So, just breathe, treasure life and … …

Look for the Silver Lining.
This is Terry Lees
[Music: The Air That I Breath – The Hollies]