Breathing Room

(From Psalms Study)

“You’ve always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all.” (Ps. 61:3-5 MSG)

“He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul.” (Ps. 62:1-2 MSG)

Two different psalms in a row allude to God giving us breathing room. Many of us think of our faith life—our relationship with God—as inhibiting and confining. We rarely associate phrases like--‘letting loose,’ ‘letting your hair down,’ or ‘living with abandon,’--with the Christian faith.

This reminds me of this new fad called ‘the corset diet.’ Women wear tight corsets all day—while they eat, work, drive, and even sleep. They claim it helps them lose weight—mainly because eating becomes very uncomfortable. However, wearing a corset all day can also restrict breathing and damage your internal organs.

This is how most of us think of our relationship with Christ—like a corset diet—restrictive, constricting, limiting—where we have to follow a bunch of rules and regulations—like we are walking around in a girdle or Spanx all day. I’m not saying that a relationship with God doesn’t require discipline and dedication—it does. But, it is also expansive and freeing in its own way. 

“I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!” (2 Cor. 11-12 MSG)