A Breath of Fresh Air

I am loving the temperatures this fall! We have had our windows open for the better part of the last two weeks, and it is WONDERFUL!!! =) If you've been reading my blog, you know that I have spent most of the summer battling the odors in my "new to me" house. And since it was summer, we kept the house closed so that the air inside would be cooler than the air outside. ;) (I know, pretty standard stuff for Texas.) But the thing that happens when a house is closed-- even when you are using an air conditioner-- is that the air gets stale, and thick, and just generally yucky. ESPECIALLY if the house isn't clean when you close it up. So opening the windows up has been LITERALLY a "breath of fresh air"! =)

As I've been breathing the fresh air (and attacking the dirt in my house with renewed vigor) I've been thinking about the analogy with my spiritual life. Reading the Bible is kind of like a breath of fresh air for my soul. If I'm not in the Word, I'm less likely to interact on a deeper level with my church family. I'm not seeing my sin through the lens of Scripture-- in fact, I may not be seeing my sin at all. And my soul gets "stale" and yucky. But when I am in the Word, the Spirit is stirring things up, and driving me toward fellowship with my brothers and sisters.

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:4
 
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17