How is your breath?

Is it fresh-smelling?  Do you have that yucky morning breath?  Fresh-smelling breath is something we all want to have (or at least I hope all of us want to have it!  I have a child that doesn't seem to care, but we're working on that.

Today I want you to think about your breath - but not in the physical sense.  I want you to take the time to analyze your spiritual breath.  

The Latin word for spirit is spiritus - meaning breath.  Your spirit is who we are - your feelings, your emotions, your thoughts, your words, your actions.  You can do a lot of things with your spirit.  Your spirit will have an effect on people.  Sometimes that effect will be positive and sometimes it will be negative.  From time to time you and I should analyze our spiritual breath and see the affect it is having on others.

Let's look at ways your spiritual breath can affect others:

1.  Your breath can inspire:

The word inspire means "to breathe into".  When you inspire someone you have a positive effect on them.  You do this by encouraging them, by helping them, by influencing them in a positive way.  Maybe you inspire them to hang in there and not to quit when there is something difficult happening in their life.  Maybe you set a good example for them or listen to them.  Maybe you make them feel like they are important by your caring spirit.  

How is your breath?  Does it inspire?

2.  Your breath can expire:

The opposite of inspire is expire.  Expire means to take breath away.  What you have a negative effect on someone, it's as if you are taking their breath away.  You've deflated them in some way - by your harsh words, by your inconsiderate actions, by your negligent behavior.  Maybe you make others feel small and unimportant.  Maybe you ignore their feelings.  Whatever it is, the effect of your breath causes them to expire...it takes their breath away.  It takes their spirit away.

How is your breath?  Does is expire?

3.  Your breath can transpire:

The suffix trans means to cross over, so transpire means breathe or spirit that crosses over.  When your breath transpires, you not only inspire the person, but it also causes them to act in a way that changes them.  The person now will use their own breath to inspire others.  We use the word transpire to mean that something happens.  When your breath transpires, it causes someone to change.  It causes a reaction....a positive reaction.

How is your breath?  Does it transpire?

4.  Your breath can perspire:

We all know what it means to perspire.  It means to sweat!  If our breath is causing others to perspire, we've got problems, don't you think???  As the words inspire and transpire can go together, the words expire and perspire can also go together.  When you walk into a room, does it breathe air into or take breath away?  We probably all know of someone who can change the whole atmosphere when they walk into a room.  They're negative, complaining, discontent, "weaned-on-lemons" attitude causes a very negative reaction from those who are around them.

So, how is your breath?  Is it morning breath (expire, perspire) or just-brushed-fresh (inspire, transpire)?