Breathe

Blog by Kristen Hicks

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…

I can remember so many times when I’ve had to remind myself to breathe. Whether it be in a moment of panic, stress, nervousness, awkwardness, or everything seemed completely out of my control. There is nothing like taking in a deep breath of fresh air. Mountains, ocean, rain, shine, in the middle of the night, or at the break of dawn, it doesn’t matter. There is just nothing like it. 

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…

Personal trainers tell you this a lot when you are working out. Even the ones on the videos—which is a little comical to think about. It’s like in this moment that you are trying to push yourself to go further than you’ve ever gone, somehow and in some way, you forget the one thing that you never actually had learned in the first place. Breathe. 

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…

When a mother is giving birth she is taught in the months leading up to her delivery that there are certain methods in how to breathe through labor. There are patterns and rhythms of breath that help push her through the pain. It stimulates her brain so she remembers yet again to breathe but also to focus on the task at hand. Not letting the pain overcome her.

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…

When I was a teenager, I used to go to a conference in Hilton Head—GCYC. There was a skit group called “One Time Blind” that came several years in a row. I remember this one time this girl came out on stage, the lights stayed dark and all you could hear was her breathing. Then over and over and over she started saying “Breathe in the Spirit. Breathe out yourself. Breathe in the Spirit. Breathe out yourself.” I don’t remember anything else about that skit. That was the only thing that stuck with me. It would come back to me whenever I was nervous about singing. I would take really deep breaths and whisper to myself… “Breathe in the Spirit. Breathe out yourself.” Over and over and over. And suddenly I would walk out on stage with a new confidence that wasn’t my own. I still do this sometimes actually. When I get nervous speaking, or singing or just in a situation that I don’t feel super confident in… still… “Breathe in the Spirit. Breathe out yourself.” It has a way of reminding me of where my strength comes from, where my confidence is found, and that I am not alone in anything—EVER! 

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…

Sometimes we find ourselves in seasons of complete and total uncertainty. We kick, we cry out, we squirm, we try to make it happen, make it stop. Whatever it is. All we can see, all we can know is that we aren’t there yet. We are taking steps in the dark—hoping, praying, begging Abba not to let us fall. But isn’t that the faith He calls us to? Does He not just love giving us surprise gifts? Trust, isn’t that something He sees as pure, majestic beauty when found our eyes? I am in one of these seasons and I am learning that one of the best coping mechanisms for it, is to just remind myself to breathe through it. Because I know that this season is first of all, just a season. It will not last forever. Something will be birthed by the end of it. Reminding myself of Abba’s rhythms of breathing that I’ve learned in past seasons. Thankful that they prepared me how to focus on the task at hand. And like working out— this season is pushing me further than I’ve ever gone before. And although the results aren’t super visible at the moment, I know that if I just keep breathing, and reminding myself that this breath that I do have is and has always been Abba’s, then I will make it. 

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…