This video shows the important role that medical professionals play in helping those in need. Not being able to breathe is a very scary thing. I would know. I have had issues trying to breathe myself and knowing you are struggling to do one of the things you can’t live the shortest amount of time without isn’t pleasant. You may be able to go a few days without food or water but air is not one of those things you can go a day without; in fact you may not even last that many minutes without it.
Having access to emergency services is vital for many to survive a blockage to the airway and being trained in CPR can help lessen the risk of death or permanent brain damage happening while waiting for more medical aid to arrive. As easy as it is for most people to understand how important oxygen is, it is hard for us to remember how important it is to retain spiritual life and guard against things that would block our relationship with God or the faith of others.
When someone is dead they won’t struggle to breathe because they are dead (obviously). But it may not be obvious to us that the reason it is so easy for many to ignore their spiritual health is because they are spiritually dead, or they are so far gone they are spiritually unconscious and soon to die. When we are spiritually alive we will breathe in the atmosphere of God’s presence with ease, if something happens that gets in the way there will be intense struggle to remove it because we have the desire in our hearts to live in God’s will.
Ask yourself if you struggle when you feel yourself losing your connection with God. The less concern we feel when things come between us and God the closer we are to spiritual death. I’m am not saying when we are spiritually well our lives should be full of fear or anxiety of losing God, because we can trust God does not want to lose us. When we are alive in the Lord breathing in the ways of the Spirit should come as naturally as breathing typically does. When we are healthy, we don’t have to actively think about breathing and we hardly even notice we are doing it. It is only when things are not going well that breathing starts to feel like work and a struggle.
If you are struggling to breathe spiritually don’t be discouraged there is hope because you still have spiritual life in you. We should reach out to God and the community of faith for help. Fellow believers are not always trained the best to help, and it is sad when they let us down so we should avoid that and try to be prepared to help others correctly in that way too. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
