Hand Crafted, Carved & Deeply Breathing

"Come to Me and rest. I am all about you, to bless and restore. Breathe Me in with each breath... Slow down and cling tightly to My hand." (39)
The one thing we cannot live long without...our next breath! Even labored breathing can be especially exhausting, and we often forget how blessed we are to breathe with ease. This was brought home to our family when, during that last year before my sweet daddy passed on to heaven, he had to rely on oxygen tanks, tubes, mask, etc to keep his oxygen levels within a functional range. So, all the equipment and precautions that go with that kind of special care became a primary focus, especially for my mother who tenderly and graciously attended to dad. She shared the following insight...
"The thought of the oxen's yoke in Mt. 11:29 always intrigued me, then a Bible scholar explained that a good farmer hand carved the yoke to fit each of his oxen. Thus, I can trust Jesus that my individually designed yoke will not be more than I can bear. Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, 'My yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light.' Now, my job is to rest in Him and trust Him." And she did just that..."yoked" to Jesus while caring for daddy!
It's good for me to remember to breathe deeply in this uniquely carved yoke that God has hand-crafted for me. Afterall, I am also God-crafted, in His Image! This helps me to deeply breathe in His presence "with each breath." Gen.2:7 tells us that "the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils and the man became a living being."
Even our very breath is a gift from God and every breath we take is an opportunity to take in more of His restoring Presence. May we use our breath to glorify Him as we bear His Hand-Crafted yoke today!
Blessed with Breath...dmc