Just Breathe

“Advent comes and the cultural Christmas is going to try and tell us that we measure up by knocking ourselves out. I hope you are able to hear the voice of God in the background saying, “Slow. Sometimes stop. Just breathe.”

One of the most beautiful songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical, In the Heights, is a song sung by the favored daughter (her name is Nina) of the community who has returned home after a semester at Stanford University. The song reflects the angst and anxiety Nina feels as she returns home thinking that she has failed everyone by not hacking it at Stanford.

I love the song because, in the background, members of the community are singing in Spanish words of love and encouragement—telling her to just “resipira” (breathe). Meanwhile, Nina has this inner dialogue where she thought she was the one who was different, the over-achiever who made it out of the neighborhood. The community clearly loves Nina. Nina interprets that love as a need for her to perform and do better. The one thing that does come through, repeated to her over and over, is “breathe.” Just breathe, Nina.

I think that is a powerful narrative for our day. In the midst of pandemic, we can still hear those narratives which tell us we’re supposed to be better, supposed to be doing more work, supposed to be being more.

I think it is God’s fondest desire that we might hear over and over, “Just breathe.” In all of your glory and wonder as a very small part of creation, “Just breathe.”

Advent comes and the cultural Christmas is going to try and tell us that we measure up by knocking ourselves out. I hope you are able to hear the voice of God in the background saying, “Slow. Sometimes stop. Just breathe.”

We are all daughters and sons, siblings and cousins, who need to be able to sing the song of the community reminding others that “hacking” it is not what life is about. Just breathe. Don’t get caught up in those inner dialogues of worth. There is work to be done, and we need everyone. If we are caught up in narratives of guild or falling short, we feel to hear the voice of God singing along with the community, “Just breathe. Breathe. And take my hand for the work we can do together.”

Shalom,

Mike