While on vacation, my family was playing the game, Trivial Pursuit. One of the questions was, “What does everyone die from?” The answer was hypoxia (lack of oxygen) to the brain. While we had our own discussion as to whether one dies from lack of oxygen to the brain or heart, it made me think of what gives us spiritual life.
If hypoxia equals death and the Lord gives us life, isn’t hardness of heart and other forms of sin a spiritual hypoxia/death? If you think of God as the air we breathe, and that he breaths life into us, don’t we seem foolish to ever willingly cut ourselves off from Him? Yet in essence, that is exactly what we do. With each sin we become more hypoxic, commencing a slow spiritual death we are largely unaware of.
For the spirit of God made me, the breath of the Almighty keeps me alive. Job 33:4
If you were physically hypoxic, you would carry around an oxygen tank. When one is spiritually hypoxic, we need to turn to the Giver of Life. As Catholics, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for others there is prayer and repentance.
Lord, as we pray for families today, open our eyes to our own spiritual hypoxia. Breathe new life into us and give us the courage to get down on our knees to seek forgiveness for our sin, for our family’s sin, and for any generational sin. We believe in the depth of your love and the ocean of your mercy. As we turn to you, please stretch out your hand and lift us up, that we glorify your name in praise. Amen.
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
Offer spiritual oxygen to a friend.
