Breath of Life

 "Breath of Life"             December 21, 2011

Today is a day of celebration for me. I'm glad that you have joined me on my walk of faith today. Come, let's stop our walking in the Word for a while and sit on a my porch while I explain. Can I get you some hot chocolate or hot spiced tea to sip while I tell you about my experience?

God has given me the gift of the breath of life three times in my lifetime. I'll explain what I mean.

The first time God gave me the breath of life , of course, was on my physical birthday, 57 years ago. I was born to a housewife and farmer. To me, God performed a miracle before my birth by keeping Dad alive in France during Word War II. You see, that's where he stepped on a mine, which dismangled his left leg. He had it amputated below the knee. It could have easily killed him that day, but God kept him alive through all that trauma. So I know that God had a plan for my life even before He created me. Obviously, if Dad had died that day, I wouldn't be here. Thank You Father God for  life.

The second time God gave me the breath of life was my spiritual birth when I was sixteen. A classmate of mine had died in a car wreck that summer. That event opened my eyes to the fact that death can come at any age and I was not prepared. I didn't want to go to Hell, the place for which I was headed. So in my bedroom one night, I spoke to the Lord about it, giving my heart to Him. I didn't say the proper words, but He came into my soul that night through faith and has never left me since. Father, thank You for Jesus as my Savior and giving me a new life.

The third time God gave me the breath of life was ten years ago today. It was the day I had surgery, a hysterectomy. I made it through that fine, and was back in my room when it happened. I remember the nurse explaining to me how to use the pump for morphene as I needed it for pain. When I pushed it, I fell into a deep sleep and stopped breathing. (I had no out of body experience, since my faith didn't need one.) If my husband, son, and his wife had not come into my room to get my purse before they went to eat lunch, I would have died that day. My husband noticed that my lips were turning blue and I had stopped breathing. He went out into the hall and called for help. My family doctor just happened to be in the hospital making rounds and came to my rescue. (Actually, it was God's provision, I know.) After several minutes, they got me  breathing again and finally awake. When I opened my eyes the second time, I was surrounded by two doctors, one sitting on  my bed, several nurses, and my family. It was  a roomful. I thought, "Wow! What a welcoming party." Then they explained what had happened to me. Thank You God for letting me live again, extending my life these ten years!

Looking back, it has been  God's will for me to live. I am so grateful! I know that if not for the Grace of God, I wouldn't be here, friends. I thank Him and praise Him for all three times that He has given me the breath of life. Since it happened ten years ago today, I just had to share the story of my life.

In celebration of living my ten years of my "extended life," I would like to give one person a devotional book that I use daily. It is written by Henry and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God Day By Day. Simply tell us your story of God's grace to you, when He breathed life into you.

I'm so glad you decided to join my today on my porch. You are precious friends to me. I think of all the things and people I would have missed experiencing and knowing if I had died ten years ago.  I'm so very blessed! And you are one of those blessings.

Tomorrow, we will get back to our study of Titus. Verse 4 says But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared.

But for the Grace of God, I would not be alive and headed to heaven now. How about you?