Inspiring You to Live Fully With Passion and Purpose
With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter.. – Barack Obama (Inaugural Address)
Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath: without it you can’t move. – George Verwer
I want to tell you a secret.
There is a way for you to find the strength to continue throughout your day. When you are struggling through loads of papers and work that was due yesterday or on the third phone call telling an unwavering man that you will get him the money, don’t lose hope. God is here listening and waiting to give you the power to control all the stress around you, and there is a simple prayer that has been practiced for centuries which can help you.
There is a little known prayer that spiritual Christians have been using as a means to help God reclaim the control in their lives. They simply use their breath as the tool to connect with God.
The Breath Prayer is a simple prayer that allows you to focus on your breath and the present moment. You stop in the time when things are the most overpowering and take time to ask God for help. The prayer was formed in a way that it would not take a lot of time nor would it create unneeded attention. You can do it at any moment or anywhere.
The breath prayer begins when you choose a phrase that you would like to focus on. It can be a verse from the Psalms, Proverbs or the Gospels. You can also craft a phrase of your own. Try to keep it around 5 – 7 words in length and something that is easy to repeat. Find the phrase that speaks to your current situation and seeks God’s strength to overcome the pressures around you.
Here is an example of one that I have used.
In you, I find my strength, my power.
Once you have found your phrase, then begin to take deep breaths from your diaphragm. Inhale and exhale 5-10 large times or until you find yourself somewhat relaxed. Then begin repeating your phrase as you breathe.
Start with repeating the entire phrase with one breath and then slowly move down to where you are saying one word as you inhale and one word as you exhale. When you are at this point, stop repeating the phrase and listen for God’s voice to answer your prayer.
Remember to direct your words toward God when you attempt this breathing prayer. This is a prayer and you are trying to connect with God for a source of inspiration. If you simply repeat a phrase while breathing, then it becomes simple meditation and will help calm your nerves. But a breath prayer is so much more powerful. It relaxes your stress but also invites God to give you the inspiration to tackle the world around you.
Extra Reading
Here is an interesting article from Praise Walker entitled Breathing God and talks about breath prayer.
“Heroism feels and never reasons and therefore is always right” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What separates a hero from the rest of the world?
Is it the ability to fly.. or have enough money to afford cool gadgets.. or maybe the mutant gene that he was born with that makes him more special than everyone else?
Even in these modern day comic book fantasies, these talents are nothing about heroism and does not separate a hero from an average individual. Bill Gates has more money than Bruce Wayne ever could, but you don’t see him jumping around in a bat suit with a cape. I don’t believe that anyone becomes a hero because of any extra gifts or talents.
There is no superhero gene or skill to learn.
It is actually quite the opposite. We, as average individuals, are more evolved than heroes, because we have a gift that these super-humans do not. We have the ability to think rationally, and would find a more rational alternative or justification than leaping from one skyscraper to the next.
I watched the new Batman movie a couple of weeks ago, and I was sitting on the edge of my seat for most of it. There was one scene where the joker threw a girl out of Bruce Wayne’s highrise. Batman didn’t stop to think about which funeral home could hold the right amount of grieving relatives. Instead, Batman dove out of the window after her. He didn’t have the stunt planned and it just so happened that he had a cool gadget that would save them in this scenario.
But the point is that cool talents or skills have nothing about heroism.
True epic heroism is made when one is able to suspend the natural human gift of rational thinking to rescue someone else at whatever cost.
Are you an entertainer, politician or a hero?
Several days ago I surveyed a few of my friends and family. It wasn’t a long survey. It actually consisted of one question.
“Why did you do that?”
I wanted to know what processes were going through their heads while choosing to make a decision in life. I didn’t take notes on their answers nor did they even realize they were participants in a survey. But I was quick to judge their answers and was biased towards my own thinking. In other words, the survey was completely unscientific.
but it did bring up good conversation.
I also figured out that there are 3 types of people when it comes to decision-making.
A politician is always successful, but is never loved. He carefully manipulates situations with his mind so that he will come out on top. You can never turn your back on him.
An entertainer is always loved but is never in control. Their decisions are always made by the outside influences surrounding them. They might be a flower floating downstream being led by the water’s current, but they still are always loved by everyone around them. They have an unmatched ability to connect with everyone around them, because their lives are guided by emotions.
A hero is hardly loved or successful. She makes decisions based on a larger idea of what is right. She will lose everything she owns because her heart pushes her to go for something more than herself. There is a greater good out there, and she strives for it everyday. In the simplest of choices, her will tugs on her and guides her to help out those around her. She might not be the richest nor the most popular..
but she is a hero.
Next time at AltNoise I will be writing about why it is not always smart to be a hero. Make sure you are subscribed to the free feed so you don’t miss this exciting article.
If you desire to try and make the world a better place, you will be left heartbroken.
I don’t know why I persistently preach that we can become a world of compassion and selfless sacrifice. It could never be true. It is a fight that one cannot win. There will always be someone taking advantage of us. There will always be someone that is out to hurt us… There will always be that time when we are in it for ourselves.
The Smart Way
It is not a message of success nor genius. A smarter man would learn to play by the rules of the world. He would know the right moments to fake a smile and pretend to be compassionate. The smart man knows the time for good, but even more, he knows the time to push someone down. The end goal for him is to get to the top of the mountain and look down at all the people he had to step on to get there.
Even though I know I will never succeed in completely changing the world, I press on. Maybe I am ignorant. Maybe I am idealistic. Maybe I am dumb. But, I continue in my efforts.
The Difficulties of Idealism
It is hard. There are many times where I picture myself in a Rocky movie. I’m getting knocked down every round but I continue to get up. It is lonely. There are times when I get depressed because there are only a few people who agree with my thinking and the rest of the world could care less about me.
The question that I ask myself is why. Why do I persist for an idealistic but unreachable goal?
I have only one reason.
my two sons.
In all of the corruption and horrible experiences, God has given me the greatest gift I could have ever received. They are my hope that a new world can be born out of the harsh reality of life.
The Secret To Perseverence Is Inspiration
This is the secret to the persistence needed to continue in an idealistic dream. It is that ultimate inspirational blessing which God has graced upon our lives and influenced us in a more positive manner. I don’t believe the inspiration is the same for everyone nor will it come from something that we feel entitled too. It comes from the burnt ashes of our lives. In these most vulnerable and broken times, God decides to give us a gift; a gift we don’t feel worthy to receive.
This is why I am pushing for an alternate noise.
For those of you who read my blog from an rss feed, you might want to come and check out the new Christmas theme I put together for Altnoise. I think it adds a little feeling of comfort to the site. Many websites seem so distant from the real world, but I was hoping altnoise can be a place that you can come and feel like home.
 I’ve been thinking about the Christmas theme for awhile, but the idea really surged into motion when I was reading Darren Rowse’s article on optimizing our blogs for Christmas. I think he is doing a wonderful job of keeping the blogosphere a friendly and welcoming environment.
I am Stephen Miracle
Hello! My name is Stephen Miracle. I am the founder of altNoise. I have worked in ministry for the last decade. Please enjoy and freely share these articles created with love.
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