Breathe, Pray, Release
I don’t know about you, but so far 2025 has been um…. Intense. I can’t think of another word to describe it at the moment. I am type A, first born, determined, a hard-core planner, don’t you dare procrastinate in my vicinity or I may have to give you some unwanted advice. Just being honest here, but I’m having a hard time with it and finding more than ever I have to lay it down. Pray, and pray, and pray, and yep I’m gonna keep sayin’ it til it annoys the heck out of ya, PRAY!
Maybe it’s just part of getting older, but I find more than ever before I am having to pause multiple times a day and practice this
cycle: Breathe, Pray, Release
There is something to be said for
literally choosing to tell myself in my own head, “You need to stop now, and BREATHE.” The mind settles, then my body can begin the
rhythm of breathing in, breathing out.
Sometimes I count, especially if it is a really, really bad day. On the lesser intense days, I don’t need to count,
and I find my rhythm.
2.
Pray: 1
Thessalonians 5:17, “Never stop praying.”
(NLT) Prayer is essential to the Christian life. It is our most powerful and practical
resource. I have witnessed throughout my
life, the movement of prayer and the power of it, but I have also witnessed it
being dismissed and minimized behind other efforts that men have deemed as more
‘effective’ that this. In this day and
age of focusing on self-care, self-worth, building up an image, making a name
for yourself and what you believe is truth and being true to yourself, shall I
go on? This is so far from what we are
intended to be as the people of God. Chosen. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. God’s own possession. Called out of darkness into His wonderful
light. (1 Peter 2:9 NLT) When we make
the choice to pray instead of panic, in times of strife and times of joy, we
are setting a spiritual habit that shapes our spiritual maturity lifelong. Sometimes, I don’t have much to say when I
pray. Sometimes, I find myself ranting
at God about whatever has me tied up in knots.
Sometimes, I have a lot of questions, and I don’t have much of a
thankful heart. Sometimes, all I can do
is utter, “Thank you for hearing me Lord”.
And sometimes, I don’t have anything in me but to speak the name, “Jesus”. The constant through my inconsistency when I
pray? He is here. He hears me and He loves me. I’ve learned over the years and especially
after what we have endured with the loss of my Mom, and Ryan’s Mom and Dad,
there’s no end to the suffering we will experience in this life; but there is
also no end to the goodness of God.
There is no end to His peace that passes understanding, no end to His
faithfulness, no end to His abundant provision and purpose through it all. Prayer renews, resets, revitalizes my spiritual
posture to live out what still lies ahead of me in this life.
3.
Release:
This step really begins in the midst of prayer. I can feel it shift in me mentally,
physically, spiritually. I remember
hearing this advice several times in my life: that we should be able to turn it all over to
God, trust Him to take care of us, and lay it down at the foot of the Cross and
never pick it up again. I am going to be
brutally honest here and confess I don’t do that well. Some things have taken me longer to release
than others because life is really hard.
I don’t like what’s happening in our community, and in our world right
now and it’s hitting me harder than I can recall in my adult life. It was a lot easier being a kid and having
such trivial things to worry about. Time
stood still, and I assumed my parents would make sure everything was okay, and safe,
and taken care of for me. Thankfully, my
parents took time to be open and honest with us growing up, and I learned some
very practical common-sense habits that shaped me and prepared me to be a healthy,
happy, functional member of society. They
didn’t try to protect us from the hardest things in life, but in fact walked us
through it by disciplining us and exampling for us how to deal with it and take
responsibility for it when necessary.
They helped us learn how to keep moving forward, determine a path even
in the midst of hard times, and to not get stuck or destroyed by the
unexpected. I think a piece of the
Release step that is so important is experience. As I have walked through a multitude of
experiences in my life, I have lost and gained some things along the way. Those experiences have helped shape my
approach to the next hard thing. Panic
lingers and Release is delayed when we aren’t equipped to handle what’s coming
at us at any given moment. I am so
thankful for the examples my parents have been to me, and other key people in
my life who have mentored, encouraged, and supported me. I am a better person today because of the
impact they have had on my life.
I was thinking about a song Christy Nockels sings that I
love, the lyrics are so appropriate to include as I close out this blog post
today.
Jesus, you’re the strength that carries through
So I don’t want to live a day without you
‘Cause it’s your spirit moving in me
You’re life overflowing
That changes everything I do
Christ in me, my hope of glory
Christ in me, my longing filled
Christ in me, my joy forever
Christ in me, all I need
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