The twenty-year mark of my dad’s passing approaches in a few months and I’ve been thinking frequently of a word he instilled in life: INSPIRATION. He always encouraged people to pray for both motivation and inspiration because with these two attributes he believed you are nearly unstoppable.
Therefore, when I know I have a tough task ahead I pray, “Lord, give me motivation!” Or when I am stuck in a mental funk and don’t know what to do next… “Lord, fill me with inspiration!”
Inspiration.
I think most of us carry in our mind’s eye a vague concept of what that means. Maybe the proverbial light bulb appearing overhead or the hallelujah chorus ringing out with an epiphany. Personally, I imagine Cinderella’s arms gracefully rising above her as magic dust transforms her rags into a ball gown. Yes, that’s right, I pray for the spirit of old skirts to become a shimmering sparkle dress of brilliant thoughts. Ahem, metaphorically in my mind that is. Just me? Well, you’ll be relieved to know my fairy tale version has been challenged lately.
For our homeschool co-op this semester I’ve been translating short portions of the Latin Vulgate with the high school senior class, and it has gotten me into the habit of looking at the Latin form of other scripture in my daily devotions. I know that sounds geeky, but don’t roll your eyes if you haven’t tried it! A few mornings ago, this led me to read in Genesis 2:7, “Deus… inspiravit in faciem ejus spiraculum vitae, et factus est homo in animam viventem.”
In English, “God… breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”
Did you catch it? In this crucial moment when mankind became more than dirt, what happened?
Deus inspiravit.
God breathed.
Inspiration!
If you have a background in the medical field perhaps this definition is already in your lexicon, but “inspiration” means to inhale! When we pray for inspiration, we are asking to breathe God’s breath.
Merriam Webster clarifies further:
When inspire first came into use in the 14th century it had a meaning it still carries in English today: “to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural influence or action.” It’s this use that we see in phrases like “scripture inspired by God,” where the idea is that God shaped the scripture in an active and explicit way.
The meaning is a metaphorical extension of the word's Latin root: inspirare means "to breathe or blow into." The metaphor is a powerful one, with the very breath of a divine or supernatural force asserted as being at work.
“Inspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspire. Accessed 14 Sep. 2023.
Praying for inspiration is not just a request for a bright idea but seeking the very breath of God in our spiritual lungs. And this causes me to wonder if inspiration is just a metaphor. Surely, God literally breathed on Adam and Eve in Eden. Is there any connection to our actual oxygen intake now? Jesus seems to have thought so.
John 20:22 records that Jesus, “breathed on them saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” As theologian, Curtis Chang, in his book The Anxiety Opportunity suggests, “John 20 shows that this gift of the Holy Spirit is tied up with the physical act of mindful breathing.” ‘Holy Spirit’ means Sanctified Breath – the Life of God back in our lungs! How powerful it might be to mindfully connect our literal breathing with faith in this truth.
The idea of breathing and praying together gets me excited because for most of my life I’ve struggled to understand the enriching workout of yoga alongside my Christian faith. I love going to a studio with others and using breath to guide movement – stretching, balancing, strengthening. I know there is restoration in the act, I know there is refreshment on the mat as I focus - deeply inhaling and thoughtfully exhaling. But I’ve wrestled to find how it fits with my faith. I don’t adhere to the eastern mantras associated with yoga, yet I know from experience the powerful healing process of daily practice. I want that to be accessible without compromising the Gospel. It is a personal journey for me right now, but I think I’ve found where it begins… with breathing in His Spirit. According to the books of Genesis and John, this is where daily life with Him has always begun – God breathes on us, and we inhale his holiness by faith and grace both physically and spiritually.
I’m almost certain Dad had no hint of yoga (or Cinderella for that matter) in mind when he encouraged me to pray for inspiration, but I know he was filled with the Spirit and is breathing the atmosphere of heaven now. For twenty years I’ve continued hearing him cheer me on from there by God’s mercy, contributing to the inspiration he always prayed I could know. I can’t make all the connections yet, but I’m excited to explore it more. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep checking Latin translations.
Very thought-provoking! I love the pic of you and your Dad:)
I love the connection of God's breath and inspiration. I've never thought of that before... Having God breathe onto or into us is an amazing gift that Jesus promised us. Inspiration is what enables perspiration (hard work) - some coach said that once.