Posts Tagged: letting go

DTEB, “Don’t Hold Your Breath!”

On November 1, 2022 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Today’s post begins with the lyrics from a wonderful song by Jonny Diaz.

“Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life

Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe

Third cup of joe just to get me through the day
Want to make the most of time but I feel it slip away
I wonder if there’s something more to this crazy life
I’m busy, busy, busy, and it’s no surprise to see
That I only have time for me, me, me
There’s gotta be something more to this crazy life
I’m hanging on tight to another wild day
When it starts to fall apart in my heart I hear you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be


Chaos calls but all you really need

Is to take it in, fill your lungs
The peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe (just breathe)
let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what’s good and find what’s best
Just breathe (just breathe)

Just breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Just breathe”

(https://www.google.com/search?q=lyrics+Just+Breathe!+Christian+song&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS844US844&oq=lyrics+Just+Breathe!+Christian+song&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390.14281j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8, accessed 11-01-2022)

I had an interesting exchange of emails this morning with a guy that I am sponsoring in my 12-step group.

“Dear N.,

I was especially struck by this sentence: “I drive myself crazy trying to get the things I think I want, forgetting that if I just let go, I’ll probably get better than I can imagine.” Yes!

Your words about love also touched me deeply. You are absolutely right about the love always being there. You are also right, I think, about the fact that we can only experience that love when we let go and are doing what we can to receive and participate in that love.

In terms of the letting go part, the thought occurred to me that, in fact, we do this all the time. It is called breathing. We let go of one breath in order to take another. Many religions, philosophies, and non-descript approaches to life emphasize breathing. I am struck that, in my own tradition, Christianity, breath is mentioned at the very beginning of the second creation story in Genesis 2:7. This original breath was breathed into us by God. Perhaps every breath is breathed into us by God. None are guaranteed. All are freely given. I think I’m a bit more aware of this because of having blood clots on my lungs on a couple of occasions.

In fact, the same Hebrew word (ruah) can mean “spirit, wind, or breath”. It is sometimes hard to decide which translation is the best in a particular text of the Bible. The same word in Greek (pneuma) is also used in similar ways in the Greek New Testament.

So, in a sense, with every breath, I am breathing in God’s breath. Maybe what we are really beathing in is love, but we don’t have the sense to know it. And, unfortunately, I am forever trying to hang on to my last breath when God has a fresh one for me.

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