Not wasting our breath #Beraishit#devartorah#parashathashavua

If I were to scoop up a handful of dirt and blow into it, all I would get is a dirty face. When God did it, He got a living, breathing human being capable of thinking, feeling, dreaming, loving, and reproducing.

As one of these human beings, I speak of “catching” my breath, “holding” my breath, or “saving” my breath, but these are idioms of language. I cannot save my breath for use at a later time. If I don’t use the one I have now, I’ll lose it, and I may even lose consciousness.

Some Bibles translates the Tetragrammaton, Yud Hey Vav, Hey (God’s name) as Yahweh. Notice when you pronounce Yahweh, God’s name sounds like taking a breath. You can hear we praise God by calling out His name with every breath. Doesn’t the psalmist proclaim, “Let every breath of life praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).

We waste our breath when we use it for something that doesn’t honor the Holy One who continually sustains us with every breath. Lies, gossip, and slander are sins which are examples of wasting our breath that don’t bring honor to our God.

Although we cannot blow life into a handful of dirt, we can use our breath to speak words of comfort, to sing songs of praise, and to run to help the sick and oppressed. When we use our breath to honor our Creator with our unique combination of talents, abilities, and opportunities, we will never be wasting it.