Take My Breath Away
Last weekend, as I watched our three boys running and
laughing and holding hands, I had one of those “take my breath away” moments.
You know those moments when you know you are beyond blessed
and your heart literally skips a beat? It almost feels like you are having an
out-of-body experience, like you are watching your life on a big movie screen.
At that moment, time seems to slow down, allowing you to
absorb that moment, letting it penetrate your soul, making an imprint on your heart
and mind. And if you’re like me, you have tears in your eyes as you take in
every single second of that moment. Finally, you close your eyes and pray to
God that this mental snapshot you’ve just taken will never be erased from your
memory.
We have all had those moments when life has literally taken
our breath away.
It may have happened when you met your soul mate or spouse
for the first time. Or it may have happened when you witnessed a child come
into the world. Maybe it was when you accomplished something you never thought
you could. Or maybe it was witnessing your own child accomplish something.
A
spectacular view, a sunset or sunrise could do it. Or it could have happened
after reading a good book, seeing an outstanding Broadway production, or experiencing
a mind-blowing concert. Or better yet-it may have happened when you met some of
the members of your favorite band (You all know that was one of my personal
favorite moments).
Life is full of many wonderful “take my breath away”
moments.
And then life is full of those moments when you wonder if
you will ever breathe again.
Moments like these could come in the form of learning that
one of your students lost her father in a tragic and unexpected way. Moments
like these may happen when you spend an entire day in a sick friend’s bed,
holding her hand, knowing that when you finally say goodbye that day that it will
truly be the last time you say goodbye to her in this lifetime. Moments like
these happen when good friends lose a mother, mother-in-law and a grandmother
to their children. Moments like these happen when you find out that your
friends’ young daughter is fighting cancer for a second time. Moments like
these happen when you find out that a family friend has recently and very
unexpectedly been diagnosed with cancer.
These are moments that can leave you gasping for air at
times. Not only is the air knocked out of you, but your heart stops, and you
wonder how life can possibly continue for you. But more importantly, you wonder
how will it continue for the friends and family directly affected by these
moments.
And these moments are actual moments that left me wondering this
year - how do we all keep breathing? How do we keep moving day after day?
The answer, while it seems easier said than done, is to hold
onto our faith.
First-We hold onto it
so hard, knowing that there is a purpose to this life. We HAVE to believe,
even when it seems impossible, good and bad-whether we understand it now or
know that we won’t understand it until later (or maybe even never in this
lifetime), that there’s a reason for everything. Remember that the Lord knew
His plan for us before we were born:
(“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I
set you apart.” –Jeremiah 1:5)
Second-We wipe our
tears of sadness away when we lose someone close to us and allow others to lift
us up, as my own children did this year. I’ll never forget when my two
older boys told me not to be sad after a friend passed away because “Mom-they
say the streets are paved with gold” and “Yeah, mom-Don’t you know, there is no
more pain in heaven?”
(“He comforts us in
all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” -2 Corinthians 1:4)
Next-we believe that happiness
will come again, maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will come again.
(“Weeping may endure
for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” –Psalm 30:5)
And last, but not
least, we recognize the blessings standing right in front of us. Because
when you are busy worrying about your troubles and all the sadness that may be
surrounding you, life might be passing you by.
So take a deep breath, wipe your tears away and let the
moments standing right in front of you
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY.
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