*The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his
nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. *~~Genesis
2:7
When my now 21-year-old son was born by caesarean section, he was
pulled out of my wife's abdomen with the umbilical cord wrapped around his
neck. To my utter surprise and concern, he was the color of a pale
blueberry. "Excuse me," I stammered to the nurse, "but is he supposed to
look like that?" It certainly wasn't the picture I had in my mind's eye.
It's a family joke now, but at that time I was naturally pretty worried. It
was told that he was blue because he hadn't yet taken a breath, hadn't yet
been nourished and sustained by the good air of the outside world.
*And so it goes with our spiritual lives. We sometimes hold our
breaths, reluctant to commit ourselves to a life of spirit, soul and faith
for fear of what might be asked of us. But until we open ourselves wide to
the good gifts of God and breathe deeply of the Holy Spirit (the word
"spirit" means "breath," after all) we cannot hope to begin the life to
which God calls us.*
* Lord, fill me with the breath of your Holy Spirit.*
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*By: Steve Givens*
