In just a few short hours Kendra, the boys and I will be on our way to Corpus Christi for a nice weekend away with family and old friends. It is a well-timed, last chance trip to enjoy summer break together.
I must admit to a bit of cabin fever. Recovery from my foot surgery has taken most all of the summer. My recent ability to move more easily without crutches has been a wonderful gift. It was nice to “stand” in the pulpit and at the altar this past Sunday! But, even with (and perhaps because of) new tile, the air at home is getting a tad stale for us all.
So off to we go to breathe some Corpus Christi air!
If you have ever been to a coastal town, you know that the air is different. Air smells and feels different along the salt water. I was born and raised in Corpus Christi and still I cannot describe it to you. Salt air is full. It is moist and has a texture that causes one to automatically inhale to carry this air deep, deep within the lungs. The air has a clearing quality. It gives a sense of deep satisfaction and refreshment. One feels unburdened, relaxed and ready to live.
As I try to describe what I remember and enjoy about visiting my hometown, I can hear the following hymn in the background of my mind.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
Hymn 508, The Hymnal 1982
The breath of God, the Spirit of God, blows where it will, according to Jesus. God’s Spirit, like the wind, races before us and around us and within us - moving, shaping, and bringing life. The breath, the Spirit, of God is as hard to describe as salt air. The Spirit is full, with a texture that makes one breathe deeply. The Spirit is air that clears, satisfies and refreshes. The Spirit unburdens, rejuvenates and makes one ready to live anew.
God’s Holy Spirit is all around us just like the wind. Wherever lies ahead for you in these final weeks of summer, remember to breathe. Breathe deeply. Breathe deeply knowing that the fresh air you take in is a gift of God. Breathe knowing that the air you breathe is the very Spirit of God filling you with a life of new and limitless possibilities to love what God loves and to do the will of Him who died and rose for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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