Time to Exhale

Aspire to inspire before you expire.” Another billboard saying I read two years ago I have been wanting to turn into a sermon. Inspire means to give “spirit to or give breath to.” Maybe we need aspirations to take the Spirit of God that is breathed into us to breath out into the world. For we know as temples of the living God we have a lot of life and breath to give. It’s one thing to know God personally, it’s another thing to not share that breath.

However, most people live by the motto of another billboard I saw on the gulf coast last summer: “aspire to retire.” So you work hard all of your life to retire and turn off the life and breath of the Spirit’s power. The most amazing and inspiring people I know are the ones who finish strong and inspire me with their words and actions every day of their lives. They “fight the good fight” and pursue the heavenly way, which isn’t always easy. But, they try. When they are tired, they go deeper. When they are challenged, they rise above. When they are disheartened, they live by faith. When they make mistakes, they repent and live anew. When they are touched by God, they pass it on. And inspire.

I pray that this Pentecost Experience has inspired us and given us a different breadth and depth we haven’t had before. I pray that we will take the disciplines we have learned these 10 days and incorporate them into our daily lives in some way, shape, or form. I too need to remember that this is not a sprint, but a marathon. May we finish strong. May we take the dreams and miracles that God has placed deep in our hearts… and let them have breath.

It’s time to exhale.