He Breaths Life
There is something beautiful and awe inspiring about a new year. January brings with it a crisp, freshness in the air that can truly invigorate your lungs with each deep breath you take. And after a year like 2020, who doesn’t want a new, fresh perspective and start?
I’ve spent a lot of time in 2020 sitting on my bed, with tears streaming down my face, not able to give a voice to what I was feeling. My husband would ask what’s wrong and I had no way to answer. “I don’t know. I’m just crying and I can’t stop.” It can be an overwhelming and terrifying experience to not have words to identify your thoughts and emotions. The past year has left me in a jumbled-up mess in my mental space, emotions, and relationships. It seems all the fractures I had in these different areas were brought front and center in my life. It has left me exhausted and empty, to the point where, at times, it felt as though I was dead inside.
But thankfully, God and His Word has a way of breathing life into things that are dead:
“I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:6 NIV
I love that this verse can be a focus for me in the new year and offer a fresh perspective of revival. Despite a world that seems out of control and very chaotic, I am reminded that God is all about creating life. And this verse can give me some tangible guidance on how to experience His revival.
This passage is a vision Ezekiel received that represented the people of Israel, that ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’” (Ezekiel 37:11 NIV). I think many us have felt as though we are dried up. We’ve cried until there were no more tears. We’ve felt the feelings until we were exhausted. We felt confused and cut off from others and even from our faith. And yet God says “I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you.” Tendons are the glue that attach the flesh, or muscle, to bones, making it possible to move. One cannot move their body in any way if there are no tendons or muscle. The one area that I need to have constant and consistent movement in is my daily walk with the Lord. The only thing that I can do to have movement is to just do it: to be disciplined. Making the decision to read The Bible, pray, and worship is going to be my lifeline to movement in my relationship with Jesus. No matter how tired I am. How little sleep I get. How crazy my kids are in the morning. How big my to-do list is. No. Matter. What.
The next thing God said He’d do in this vision is to “cover you with skin.” Skin is the protective barrier. It keeps everything good inside and works to keep the foreign or bad stuff out. For me personally, my boundaries need to be defined clearly. Not to close people off; but to protect my own heart and mind. There are some things that I have to create space to keep my mental and emotional health in check. I can’t spend too much time on social media. There are certain people I can’t have particular conversations with. I can’t listen to certain types of music. This list is for me and not meant to be a legalistic way of living; but recognizing I am a better version of Megan by respecting myself and the protective barriers that work for me. What areas in your life cause turmoil within you? That may be a good place to look at where some protective barriers, or “skin” can be created to cover you.
Finally, God mentions He’ll put breath in us, and we will come to life. Oxygen is needed for every single bodily function of our existence. From our brain controlling our blinking to our heart beating; from our liver and kidneys cleaning our blood, to hearing and to pooping; it all takes oxygen. The breath of life has always come from God. Starting by having breathed into Adam’s lungs to knitting babies together in the womb, life comes from God. With that breath comes purpose and passion. You have been created for a purpose and each breath you take can either move you towards God Himself and the plans He has for you; or away from Him. What hinders my breath? I have found that a lack of movement in my walk with Jesus and not adhering to boundaries that I know are beneficial to me will restrict the breath of my purpose. It is this restriction that can create chaos, anxiety, anger, depression, and lack of motivation if I’m not connected to my breathe.
Everything is connected and inter twined together; and as I walk into this fresh, new year, I am focusing my attention on how to experience God’s revival in my life; not just in difficult seasons and years, but on a daily basis. He has a desire for me to be fully alive and experience the joy and hope of walking in a relationship with Him. May I continue to allow Him to revive what isn’t healthy, beneficial, or alive within me. It is my hope we inhale deeply that fresh, crisp January air and allow God to revive your purpose and passion to move in movement towards Him.
Megan Sinisi absolutely adores a good cup of coffee, chocolate, and sitting with people to share life stories. She is a native to Las Vegas, born and raised, and has four beautiful children with her handsome husband, Vincenzo. She is a counselor, specializing in the field of addictions, with multiple certifications, both in Nevada and nationally. She directed Nevada’s largest treatment court and has been building her private practice since 2014, acquiring contracts with the City of Las Vegas, City of Henderson, Clark County Special Defender’s Office, and Zappos.com. It is because of her own journey of healing and through her career that she has learned the wounds we have can begin to be healed as we share our stories. She considers it an honor when someone shares their story with her, and hopes that as she shares her stories of victory and healing that others can be inspired, encouraged, and challenged. Megan has a love and fervor for writing and is walking in faith that God is calling her to use that passion and gift for His glory. She is someone who is known for her honesty and transparency that brings light to difficult situations and feelings, and offers hope and encouragement for the journey of life. It is her hope that by sharing her journey, it encourages, challenges, inspires, comforts, and most importantly, shines the light of Jesus and the reality of His love, grace, and mercy. You can find more from Megan at www.meganjsinisi.com And @meganjsinisi on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.