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The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Job‬ ‭33:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This post, originally titled “Asthma,” appeared in the December 2000 edition of PRAISE!Magazine, which I published for seven years. Taking a trip down memory lane this month, sharing my favorite posts from my self-publishing days…

“When I was little, I had asthma. Most of the days I missed from school were due to asthma, and I missed a lot of other things because of it, too. It was rough, but we made it through.

“If you’ve never suffered through an asthma attack, be grateful. It hurts. You think about every.single.breath. You concentrate on breathing and trying to get enough air into your lungs. You dread times when you have to talk or move around, even eat, because it takes extra effort. Now I lay me down to sleep? I don’t think so. When all the lights were out in the house, I would sit up in bed to sleep, or try to anyway, because laying me down was most uncomfortable. And when I just couldn’t bear it, I managed enough of a breath to call out to my mom to tell her I couldn’t hold on anymore, and I needed and wanted help. Off to the emergency room.

“Asthma still bothers me occasionally (I still carry an inhaler), but I don’t have the severe attacks I used to. In fact, I don’t remember my last attack. My allergy doctor released me when I was in high school, so no more twice-a-year check-ups. He gave me some advice once, which I recall whenever there’s the slightest wheeze. He pretended to hold a lit match in front of me.

“Blow it out, he said. I blew it out. He then pretended to throw a lit match onto a couch, soon consumed by fire.

“Now blow the couch out, he said. I can’t, I replied. He didn’t have to say anything else. I understood.

“Happy Birthday, Jesus, and thanks for days when the struggle is just for a single breath, for at the end is You – the true breath of life.”

Ironically, JESUS takes my breath away now. How about you?

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

Through the rest of October, I’ll be sharing posts from PRAISE!Magazine, which I published from 1996-2003. Here’s one of my favorites, simply titled Words, featured in the Vol. 6, No. 1, Spring 2001 edition.

“I like words. I like writing them in letters, reading them in books, listening to them in songs, and speaking them when they ring true from the heart. I like to cut them out of magazines and tape them to the front of my notebook to make a collage. I like the power they have to change minds, excite souls, and heal wounded hearts. I like how they’ve shaped who I am. I like that I can choose which words to speak before I speak them. I like how they sound in a prayer…

“I like the look of blank sheet of ivory-colored note paper, or of a new journal – places waiting to be filled with all sorts of thoughts and dreams and ideas. I like opening up a card to find words of gratitude or encouragement, Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas. I like love notes…

“I think I have some type of divine purpose in words. In kindergarten, when it was time to paint and draw pictures, I opted to paint my ABCs. Wasn’t really much of an artist, so I stuck with what I knew. At Grandma’s house during the summer, I somehow always found my way to a cookbook, a magazine, or the Bible, and with pencil in hand, I’d copy onto paper whatever was there in front of me – a verse, recipe, something. Today, Barnes & Noble bookstore might as well be Heaven.

“The right words can build and strengthen and spread love. They can offer forgiveness, restore a broken relationship, or give you that amount of uumph you need to go another mile. The right words will speak truth, and the wrong words will hide it. The right words bring peace; the wrong ones destroy it.

“There are words which make me laugh, and some that make me cry. Some words kill, while others bring life. There are times when I should have said yes, but instead said no. There are times when I knew to say no, but instead said yes.

“And then there are times when silence is sacred – when books must be closed, pens put down, mouths shut. Here is where the greatest of all words are spoken, by One who needed only say, ‘Let there be,’ and there was. You only need a listening ear and an open heart to hear the words that will change your life forever.

“Hide His words in your heart.”

How have words shaped your life?

At time of publication: “PRAISE!Magazine” is a trademark registered by the State of North Carolina, Department of the Secretary of State. ISSN 1520-4057. Copyright 2001 by ML Tate.