BreatheSample

Slowing down isn’t always easy, is it? With all the things we have on our to-do lists—our kids, our jobs, our health, our finances, our homes, our marriages, our friendships, our chores, ourselves—there’s little room for much else. Finding time to slow down long enough to find the room to simply breathe and pray feels almost impossible. That’s when looking back to the life and example of Jesus can help us. Remember, Jesus was fully God and fully man. That means, while He was certainly divine in nature and origin, He also felt the full weight of the human experience. Overwhelmed, stressed out, struggling with big feelings, trying to balance it all—Jesus gets it because Jesus lived it, too.

And what did He do in those moments? As Scripture shows us, Jesus was intentional about getting away, finding some breathing room, and making connecting with His Father a priority. When things got crazy, Jesus stole away to pray. When anxious moments came His way, Jesus found breathing room to talk to God. When He was worried, sad, struggling, or just overwhelmed with what was ahead of Him, Jesus made space to pray. And that’s exactly the example we can follow today!

This week, set aside even just five minutes to get alone and pray. Pay attention to the way this routine helps you manage the weight of what’s overwhelming you.