Inhale. Exhale.

 Breathe in. Breathe out. Just breathe. Do any of these phrases sound familiar to you? Maybe you have told yourself this before or told someone else this before. We may be told to do this when we have encountered a stressful situation. We may do this when we take that moment to be still. We may have to intentionally notice and do this a few times or a lot of times throughout the day. When we inhale, we take a breath in. When we exhale, we breathe out. Today, I want us to look more closely at what we breathe in and out. First of all, we need to thank God for the breath He has given us (Genesis 2:7, Psalms 150:6). He's the reason we're still alive and can breathe! Just like we breathe in and out all day, we also let things in and out of our lives every day. In a single day, a lot can go on and we can take on a lot of emotions. First, let's think about what we are taking in. Is it all necessary? Does it all relate to us? Is it really for us or just to impress others? Will it matter the next day? the next hour? Is it helping or hurting us? Here's what we need to be "breathing in": thankfulness, sights and sounds around us, new experiences and opportunities to explore and learn, peace, love, healthy habits and relationships, consistency and the precious moments spent with family and friends. However, there are things that we should be "breathing out" and letting go of: grudges, unhealthy habits and relationships, comparison, complaining, worry, doubt, fear, inconsistency, perfection (I know this one hits some of us harder as I'm including myself in this one!) and jealousy. In all that we do, we should be constantly praying (I Thessalonians 5:17) as God will direct us to what we need to breathe in and out. As you think about what you take in and out daily, make sure you only take on what is necessary and what benefits your spiritual, mental, physical and emotional health 💗. Breathe out anything that could hurt yourself or others. Don't compromise. Don't wait until it gets big. Many things start off small and need to be handled when they are small. When they get bigger, they can be contained, but harder to get in control. Remember we have others connected to us. We never know who is watching us and looking up to us. What we do doesn't just affect us, but if affects others as well. So each day, let's take a minute and take inventory of what we are taking in and what we need to let out. It's okay to be still, reflect and take those deep breaths. In fact, I encourage you to do that to be more intentional. Every day, let's breathe in what's good. Every day, let's breathe out what's not good. As you do your breath checks, don't forget to check in with God and give Him the praise for the breath He has given you 👏💗😀!! God bless 😀!!