Thanksgiving vs Thankstaking
The Thanksgiving weekend has got me thinking about things that I am thankful for and how little I actually express thanks for them. I would say that I live a life more of “thankstaking” than I do of thanksgiving.
Now, I know that “thankstaking” isn’t a real word, so let me define it for you:
thanks·tak·ing [thangks-tey-king]:
1. the act of taking benefits or favors for granted that one would verbally admit they were grateful for.
I know that the definition is a little rough, but work with me. There are a number of things that I would say I am thankful for if someone were to ask me, “What are some things that you are thankful for”? I would respond, “Oh, my health, my job, my wife, my friends, my family, etc.” But you would be hard pressed to find much evidence for my case by the way I live my life.
For instance, let’s take a look at my health. I exercise maybe once a week and only eat healthy when my wife is watching. I’d say I’m thankful for my health, but if I really valued it I would make a better effort to maintain it.
Now, we all have the gift of life given to us by God, and I would say that we can all be very thankful for that. But do our lives express it? Is there evidence that we are grateful to God for the life he’s blessed us with? Or do we take the benefit of life and and get all that we can out of it for ourselves instead of giving it back to God?
I know for me, I’m going to try to change my lifestyle from one of thankstaking to one of thanksgiving… Now, where did I put those leftovers.
We all take a whole lot of things for granted. One thing that comes to mind is the air we breathe. Respiration just happens automatically, and involuntarily. We rarely value it until it’s hard to come by, like when we get stuffy or suffer respiratory congestion. Or crack a rib. Man, I’d really hate that! Asthma is a frightening experience, I know first hand how that works, if you get me near a cat.
I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve been studying the art of taking (moments of) conscious control of my breath, for several years now, and it’s crazy cool. I might add that I’ve not had a cold for many years! I have no illness and take no medication of any sort. I’m 53.
Why attend to our breath, you might ask. For one thing, it brings consciousness toward life and health, instantaneously. Being mindful brings me to a state of gratitude. How can I not immediately think of God?! It’s fun to recall, too, the Holy Spirit is often linked to the “wind”. It’s sobering to hear Christ SUFFOCATED on the cross, as he struggled for hours to breathe. Breath is life, that’s for sure!
Can it be improved upon?! What if we were able to “amp” it up?
Just as one can fan a fire, what stokes our internal furnaces? Volume not speed. Life is a marathon not a sprint. Why does laughing feel so good? Or a good sob? Why do we SIGH?! Who coined the phrase:”take a Cleansing Breath”?! And why does it feel so right?
We’re to choose between life or death. I’ve been putting some thought behind alot of God’s scripture, and it’s easy to conclude that much of it is The Great Physician’s health prescription. Singing psalms exercises the lungs!
Try this…place your focus on your next INHALE. Make it a slow one. Follow it in as it enters your body. (You instantly want to sit up straighter!) Now slowly usher your carbon dioxide out; EXHALE. Escort the next breath of life back IN, as you welcome it’s nutrients.
Stay your mind on your breath. Now “vent” the EXHALE out from you, like exhaust. Slowly INHALE and command the oxygen to: “surround every cell”. Did you feel that? Instant decompression?! EXHALE, this time forcefully, compressing and contracting your belly muscles, until they’re clenched. Slowly relax….INHALE…. Okay, admit it; you’re “high” right now, aren’t you?! (Deep breathing could replace the caffiene buzz, eh?!)
Physiology says stress causes an internal tension, right down to the cellular matter of our DNA. The double-helix spiral tightens, our thinking caps shrink, and parts of us draw up and cringe. But with that, muscle energy is not only being expended, isometrically, our blood flow is hampered. (DANGER!) The shuttle of oxygen gets hung up in it’s flow (like being caught in heavy traffic at red lights on every corner!) Breathing, instead of being tranquil becomes a struggle, and nearly forgotten! Our health is greatly compromised.
We can’t control circumstances around us, but we CAN gain control of our breath, make friends with our intelligent design, and cherish the blessed precious life we’ve been gifted with!
One last tidbit: it’s difficult to breathe properly with poor posture.
Form equals function is a principle that works like math. We sow what we reap, and our ribcage needs to be high and in place, off our gut, so the lymph pump (diaphragm) can work maximally. Our God-given defense system is liquid lymph and moves when we breathe!
Let the doctors study disease and death. I want to study health and life!
Sheesh, Grace. I think you just hi-jacked my blog? Just kidding.
But that’s definitely interesting and a good reminder, thanks for that.
And seriously, you should get a blog. I’d read it.