X is for eXhale


                       

 X is for eXhale

Some seasons of life feel like I am holding my breath. Waiting for test results, watching the clock in a hospital room. listening for the phone to ring. Bracing myself for the next thing I didn't plan for.

When I’ve lived in that space long enough, I don't realize I’m doing it. My shoulders stay tense. My thoughts run ahead of me, and my heart forgets what it feels like to rest, but I just keep going.

Lately, I've been learning the quiet discipline of exhaling. Not quitting, not giving up, just loosening my grip on the things I can't control. The truth is, I've spent a lot of years believing that if I just stayed strong enough or prayed hard enough, I could somehow hold everything together. Life has had a way of teaching me otherwise.

Exhaling for me looks like I'm trusting that God is still at work even when nothing dramatic is happening. It's letting today be enough. It's realizing that faith isn't always about holding on tighter. Sometimes it’s about breathing out the fear you’ve been carrying and letting God hold it instead. I’m not always good at it, but every once in a while, I notice a moment when my shoulders drop, my mind quiets down and the day feel a little lighter. Then I remind myself that God doesn’t expect me to carry it all, just my part.

So, today, if life feels heavy… I just need to remember to eXhale. 

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”~ Matthew 11:28

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