What Takes Your Breath Away?

April 6, 2022 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions

By Peter Lundell –

What takes your breath away? For some of us that’s what defines the best of life.

Recently the snow was great in the mountains north of LA. I had to go. When I downhill ski, I gravitate toward two things. One is to go to the steepest, most ungroomed, most obstacle-covered slope and make my way down. The other is to crouch on a gradual descent toward a steep drop- off, where I can’t see anything beyond the ledge, and then fly over it in an OMG! instant as the slope appears beneath me.

Some people may suggest counseling, but enthusiasts know it’s stuff like that that keeps us from needing counseling.

When we have to give 100 percent focus to something—otherwise we court disaster—it has a liberating effect. We’re momentarily freed, as if suspended, from every other care in the world. And after the adrenaline rush, we can return to the world and its cares with renewed freshness.

Similarly, a stunning view can take our breath away. It encompasses us and demands 100 percent of our focus just because of its magnificence. And we are momentarily freed, suspended from cares. Renewed.

The same can happen when we fall in love. Or encounter God. Or even listen to the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

We live so much of our lives doing routine things, and we’d probably die of overload if we didn’t. Though “normal” and “routine” keep us sane day by day, they need to be invaded once in a while, lest we grow comatose.

So, what takes your breath away? What makes you stop and say, “Wow!”?

In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul says that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (NIV) Are you enjoying what God gives you? I hope you say, “Wow!”

Prayer: “Father of my life and all good things, show me Your glory in this life I live. Open my eyes, my ears, and all my senses to be always alert to the ways You may amaze me. Lead me to live above the mundane, with eternity in my heart, and in tune with the glory of creation all around me.”

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world…” (Psalm 19:1–4 NIV).

About Peter Lundell

Peter Lundell, author of Prayer Power and other books, is a writer, pastor, and Bible college teacher. At www.PeterLundell.com you can see his books, subscribe to his inspirational “Connections,” and get free downloads of many articles, parables, and short stories.
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