Remember to Breathe

With everything so hectic in my world, and not having a lot of spare time to do much of anything, it is hard to remember the simple things.

Like breathing.

I was telling someone about all that I have going on in life, and they asked me, "When do you breathe?" They meant it as a sarcastic question, but in reality it sunk a lot deeper than that.

When do I breathe? Just sit and breathe. When do I take time to let my heart be still?

As I look at my schedule, I have to wonder to myself when I can have a minute of peace and quiet, a time of relaxing and not having any responsibilities to worry about. In reality, there isn't a time when school isn't looming over my head, or I don't have to be working on figuring out the schedule for the next week, or I'm not practicing dance. It all adds up very quickly.

This is the reality most people live in. A reality of having more responsibilities than possible to handle, and yet handle them throughout the week. Working several jobs to make ends meet, or to save up for the thing they really want or really need, is a necessity. People are staying busy, that is for sure.

But what about resting?

This doesn't mean sitting on the couch watching Netflix, even though it might involve a little bit of that. It just means not doing something that has to be done. It is doing something for the love of doing it, and not feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of having to accomplish anything. This might include watching movies, or reading a good book, or walking in the rain, or playing/listening to music, writing in a journal, hanging out with friends, or anything else that is not pressing to be done. It is a release. A calming, relaxing release of energy and stress that has built up throughout the week or day.

God set aside a day for rest. A whole 24 hours that is not supposed to be spent doing anything but worshiping Him and resting. It is important that we rest. God didn't make us to just go through the motions of life, but to be able to stop and see Him. "Be still and know that I am God." It is commanded to be still. To stop for a little while.

When do I breathe? In the little things. No, I don't have a lot of time to just chill out, but I love the time I have. It is at night when I'm laying in bed with no responsibilities, stretching for dance, sitting on the couch while the baby is asleep, writing in my journal, reading my Bible in the morning, and all the other quiet little moments I can steal throughout the day. It is in the moments when I don't have to do something, but chose to do it just for the pure joy of doing the task.