B r e a t h e

What do an anniversary, a trip to the hospital, a birthday and a website have in common? Sorry there aren’t any prizes, we aren’t a game show here. The answer is (drum roll please) things that made me go hmmmmm this week as I’m on holidays. I was sure that they were all related but couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I went for a walk with God one day out in the quiet of the prairies. The clarity of the air away from the city and the buzz of everyday life is so helpful for hearing the voice of the Lord.

Our holiday started out with a 100th anniversary of my husband’s mother’s home church. We went as part of the entertainment and to visit relatives, etc. It was a really lovely weekend celebrating God’s faithfulness in carrying this tiny country church for a hundred years. I was quite sure that the pioneers who planted the church could not have possibly imagined that 100 years later there would be hundreds of people overflowing their modest building into a huge tent with live video feed. Their preacher was most likely brother Jake from down the road who tilled his field come Monday morning. Their singers were themselves, most likely without the benefit of instrument or cranky sound systems. (We loved the Steve Bell concert, and I think they might have too.) Things are a little more complicated now then they were then.

On Saturday morning our son had to have his heart converted (he was born with a heart defect that allows it to beat well over the normal pace from time to time) so we had to take him into the local health centre. The faithful nurses and doctor were able to do what needed to be done with just the few of them there. I was amazed that the necessity they work in allowed them to do things protocol in the larger centres would not allow.

We surprised my husband’s dad with a big party for his 65th birthday, celebrating him and letting him know how much he means to us. He’s had opportunity to do a lot of things because he said yes. He’s a multi-talented guy, a farmer and out of necessity has had to learn to do a lot of things that most of us would look for help with in the yellow pages.

My sister-in-law showed me around a website her church sponsors. It’s a place for women in her congregation to connect and is called simply breathe or something like that. I marvelled at how simple conversation and relationship connections make you feel like you have a little breathing room. Everyone needs that.

The little country church is still doing what it did 100 years ago, preaching the gospel, equipping saints. Dad keeps doing what he’s doing, being faithful, working hard, moving forward. The rural health centre will keep doing what needs to be done with the equipment and personnel they have. Our life on this earth is but a vapour (a breath). We tend to add so many things to simply breathing that we forget to breathe and wind up winded from the effort. I think that sometimes the abundance we have available to us hampers rather than helps us. Breathe in God’s Word, His desires, His plans. Breathe out His love, His ways, obedience. He breathed and gave life to all humankind. His life-giving breath is all we really need. Breathe.

—Lani Wiens attends Hope Fellowship Church, Saskatoon. She writes a weekly inspirational column called Fresh Flowers; “Breathe” was her July 29 entry. Used with permission.