Suffocation

Mark 4:7 (KJV) - 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.”
     After teaching Bible study last evening, I stopped at a local restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat and I had the opportunity to share a few thoughts with a wonderful young woman who described how she felt as - ‘suffocating’. We have all felt that sensation when life was pressing upon us from all sides to the point that we felt as if we could not take an emotional, physical or psychological cleansing breath.
     In ministering to this beautiful spirit I relayed to her the analogy of a baby being positioned for birth. As the internal environment that once provided free floating freedom grows more cramped and we become used to our surroundings – all of a sudden things will become tight. Like a baby ready to enter the birth canal, things can flip on us. Our world may seem to turn upside down and things that used to be an easy stretch now seem restrictive.
     As the baby prepares for birth the tightness of the birth canal feels just like suffocation. The narrow, cramped passageway pushes fluid out of the lungs and stimulates the muscles to prepare for life and gravity outside of the womb. As God prepares to birth us into new projects, new situations, new blessings we too will feel the uneasy tightness that resembles suffocation. This pressing is necessary to prepare us for life outside of our present situation. Don’t lose heart. Know that this intense tightness is just an ‘intense hug’ from God as he pushes you into your new world of favor.
     Fill your lungs with the spirit of grace and then prepare to hold on until you come to other side. Your new experience awaits. Don’t fight it. Know that the ‘suffocating’ feeling is your key to a new beginning.
    Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a GREAT day! Be blessed! Rev. Dr. JoAnn