Don’t Forget to Breathe

“So keep your head above water, but don’t forget to breathe” – Alexi Murdoch

Since arriving in the Northwest more than 6 months ago, my blog posts have reflected what has been going on with me; disconnected and distant. The transition from YWAM hasn’t been the easiest for me. I went from a family where every one knew each other, shared meals together, cried, laughed, fought, got sick, danced, prayed, and believed together in an environment where we saw new and exciting places every day. We met people, walked in the footsteps of Jesus, Paul, Peter, Moses, Plato Aristotle, and others I have never known or heart of. It wasn’t always glamorous, but it was a constant adventure where we saw immense beauty, but also immense sadness in affluent and developing countries alike.

So, I come back to the worst Northwest winter that anyone can remember, only knowing a couple of people. Is this really where I am supposed to be? It was like stepping into a new country, different people, different types of communication, a different way of life. At first (and sometimes still) I didn’t like it. It is difficult. Nothing made sense, but slowly, the pieces started coming together about why I had been led to such a place, and those pieces are still coming, being fit together in ways I couldn’t imagine to form something that I still cannot make out.

I haven’t been patient, or made all the right decisions, but God has been faithful still. I am learning to be patient, learning about a good community, and most of all, learning to be content in all things, whether it is the location or job of my dreams, or whether I am happy all of the time or not. I have a lot to learn about the difference between my timing, my plans, and what God has for me. He is trustworthy even though I have shown that most of the time I have not trusted Him.

His ways are higher than mine, and he leads me to quiet waters, even though to me they don’t seem so still. He is calling to me, “Don’t forget to breathe,” He says. “Your life and breath is a gift and you can choose to be miserable if you don’t accept it. No matter where you are, no matter how hard the struggle is to keep you head above the water, don’t give up, but don’t forget to breathe. Don’t be so lost in the waves around you that you can’t see that I have given you the opportunity for abundant life every day. Don’t miss this opportunity to take hold of life and live it with everything that you have, to find fulfillment and joy in Me even though the waves are crashing everywhere around you. I’ve got you in the palm of my hand and I have a purpose for this time.”