Staring out into the Atlantic Ocean, a whale jumps out of the water. Immediately, everyone gasps at the beautiful scene. I ask my husband, “Isn’t it crazy that whales live in the water but cannot breathe in it?” His response is, “Yeah. I’ve never thought of that.”
And then it clicks for me. That’s how we are, too.
We live in a world that we weren’t meant for. It cannot sustain us. And if we stay submerged for too long, it will crush us.
The only way to survive is to come up for air.
As Christians, we live IN the world, but we are not OF this world. That can seem like a ridiculous statement…until it clicks.
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Genesis 2:7 ESV
What gave us life was God’s breath. So, it would only make sense that in order to stay alive- the kind of life worth living at least- we would continually need His breath.
But then, how do we go about getting it?
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV.
We get His breath through His Word. The Bible teaches us how to live in a world that was not meant to support us.
I’ve been fortunate to lead Bible studies at my church for the last few years. And it’s an even more beautiful scene to watch these women, of all ages and from different backgrounds, come up for air.
For some (including me), it was our first time breaching the surface and filling our lungs with as much as possible. We couldn’t get enough and didn’t want to stop or go back underwater for fear of losing our progress.
For others, it had been a long time since they’d inhaled fresh air. They had almost forgotten what it felt like when their lungs were filled up again.
And for a few, they had already realized just how vital it was to come up for air on a regular basis. And they were ready to seize any opportunity to return to the surface.
We were placed in this inhospitable environment, and we cannot stay out of the water by keeping our noise in the Bible or never stepping foot outside the church. Spoiler alert: the world will even find you there.
But there is no need to panic as the water cascades and submerges you as you’re pulled back under.
Upon further research into how whales survive underwater, it’s essential to realize that they don’t try to change who they are to fit into their unnatural aquatic environment.
They don’t develop gills like the other non-mammal animals around them. Unlike us, which store oxygen predominately in our lungs, they have a much larger capacity to store oxygen in their blood and muscles. They keep their breath stowed all throughout their bodies.
That’s what we need to do with the Word. We can’t just take it in, a little here and a little there, and expect to survive underwater for extended periods.
We need it to make up our entire being. We must build up the stores in our blood so it can run through our heads and hearts. We need to stockpile it in our muscles so it becomes our automatic response.
We must prioritize memorizing, studying, singing, meditating on, and reading the Bible.
All this to say, if you’ve been feeling like you’re struggling to breathe as the world closes in around you, when’s the last time you’ve “come up for air”?
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