Is it the running? Or is it the breathing?

I’m going through some things in my life right now. My guess is you are, too.

You might have lost someone you loved either to death or to divorce or to abandonment. You may have been fired. Maybe you’ve been rejected, wounded, forgotten, neglected or exploited. “Life IS pain, Princess,” said angry Wesley acting as the Dread Pirate Roberts. (Princess Bride)

On this Good Friday I am pausing – pausing from work, pausing from struggle, pausing from conflict. Just stopping. And breathing. And remembering. Remembering the sacrifice made for me on the cross. Remembering a Father’s love that loved me so much that he sacrificed his only son.

I think Jesus wants me to breathe. Physically, emotionally and spiritually breathe. And I think he wants you to breathe, too. I think he wants you to step away from Facebook and twitter and instagram and the incessant stream of bad news where children are dying and injustices go unpunished and heroes go unsung.

When I run there’s a rhythm to my breathing that’s predictable and steady and stable and it helps my mind to center. It allows my thoughts to stabilize and, as my mother-in-law used to say when encouraging me to take a break from my kids when they were babies “it helps you think in a straight line.”

I want to do that more often, not just when I run. Because although the running part is great (read all the other blog entries for that), the breathing part is better.

May your Good Friday, and your Easter, be filled with breath.

Happy Running.

Jen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.