Atmosphere of Praise
Scripture: Genesis 1:1, 2; 9-12; 20-26; Psalm 104:29; Daniel 5:23; Luke 15:7; Revelation 21:4.
Five hundred people work round-the-clock every day in British Petroleum’s crisis center in the United States. They are attempting to stop plumes of oil leaking a mile under the surface of the sea from one of their wells in the Gulf of Mexico. In Europe it was plumes of ash from the Icelandic volcano that forced airports in Scotland, Ireland and the UK to shut down this past weekend.
The air we breathe and the water we drink have the potential of being impacted by these and many other toxic pollutants.
The six major pollutants that the United States Environmental Protection Agency monitors closely to protect our health are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and lead. These six pollutants are only a drop in the bucket when it comes to measuring levels of pollution on planet Earth. The consequences of these pollutants range from smog to acid rain to irreparable environmental damage to the planet. The impact on human beings is constantly being analyzed.
Juan Damingo of Quality Air Escapes reports that some of the known short term health effects of air pollution include irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, and an increased susceptibility to upper respiratory infections. Other symptoms can include headaches, nausea, and allergic reactions. Respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, nerve, brain, liver and kidney damage have all been linked to continual exposure to air pollution.
Damingo’s website points out that on average most adults breathe roughly 35 pounds of air per day, or around 20,000 breaths, and children breathe almost twice that amount, as they are smaller and still developing their respiratory systems. More air enters the body and the bloodstream than any other substance.”1
Take a deep breath then exhale. Unless told to do so most of us take our source of air for granted. We inhale and exhale with little thought of what we are actually pulling into our bodies. We need air to live for without it we die. Fortunately for us air is free. It cannot be created. It can only be recycled.
Our lesson this week tells us where life-giving air originated. “And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” 2 The lesson author reminds us that every breath we take can be traced to the breath God breathed into Adam’s nostrils. We should not take this bodily function for granted. Why not acknowledge our indebtedness to Him for every breath we take?
Just as the air we breathe that gives life is free so is the spiritual vitality that we can obtain through the Holy Spirit when we choose to envelop our self in an atmosphere that Ellen White describes as “charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, hope and the sweet fragrance of love.” By contrast we can choose to exist in an environment polluted with the gloom of discontent, selfishness, and poisoned with deadly sins.
Why not choose today to project the pure joy that comes from a life filled with praise and happiness. Those around you will breathe much easier. And so will you!