Heartbeat

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Heartbeat‘ as in… heartbeat and breath are two parts of one thing. We can’t have one without the other.

I’ve been using the Headspace meditation app since 2014. When I began, sitting still for even 5 minutes was quite challenging. To clarify: my body could sit still for 5 minutes, but my “monkey mind” was jumping all over the place. Over time and with practice, I continue to learn and practice ways to lessen the commotion. Sure, there are times when I’ve been thinking of 237 other things, but I continue to bring myself back to the rhythm of breathing.

I’m grateful to be using some really nice headphones with the app. When I put the headphones on, I can’t hear anything else. Recently, I was in the middle of an exercise, focusing on my breathing. I could hear my breathing; the slow, steady rhythm of drawing in a deep breath, holding it for a moment, then slowly exhaling, letting the breath all the way out. While doing that, though, I also heard my heartbeat! What the noise-canceling headphones could not cancel out was the sound of my own heartbeat. It was like when I was a kid visiting the doctor and being fascinated by the stethoscope, which, aside from providing a distraction, acted as an amplifier of my beating heart. Now during my 20 minutes of meditation, I’m focusing on both heartbeat and breath together, the two becoming one, syncing up: 6 to 8 beats per inhale and about the same exhaling. Breath and heartbeat paired together now trigger all kinds of gratitude.

The guiding narrative for what it means to be a spirited person acknowledges that we thrive by affirming that we are inspired, animated, and enthused by the Source of all Life and that every breath is a gift! God gives each of us the profound gifts of heartbeat and breath. As we live and breathe, the Spirit equips us to make the dream of God’s kingdom a reality here, on earth, as it is in heaven. We simply can’t have one without the other.

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.