My grandchildren, ages 4 and 6, thought it would be fun to hide in our house so that when their mother picked them up she would not be able to find them.

One potential hiding place was an empty ottoman that was big enough for one of the girls to curl up in. I warned that we could not put the cover on tightly as there would be no air to breathe.

Trying to convince me not to worry about that, the older one said it would be OK not to have air in the box because she doesn’t breathe when she is sleeping. When I explained that she did breathe quietly while she was sleeping she said, “Maybe I just don’t realize it.”

As I processed this “discovery” on her part, I wondered what lesson this held for me.

I wonder how many essentials for life are so constant that I don’t realize the grace of their empowerment.

How much do I realize that I live because of the breath of God?

I sing the old song, “Holy Spirit Breathe on Me.” I read the scriptures that explain to me that the Holy Spirit is the breath of God that resides in me.

When I am hard pressed today by encounters that “knock the wind out of me” do I realize that the Holy Spirit is quietly breathing in and through me?

Can I rest in this strength?