hard to imagine

"It's hard to imagine breathing on my own

When every breath inside of me is tangled up in yours

It's hard to imagine the sun without the moon

'Cause anything that's bright in me is only bouncing off of you.

If I shine, it's because of you

If I love, it's because of you

If I'm strong, it's because of you

It's all because of you..."

- Matt Maher, "Because of You"

I heard this song for the first time on Friday, and it's stuck with me since. I don't listen to much Christian/Catholic music, but occasionally, there's a song or particular artist that catches my attention. Though it's rather beside the point for this post, Matt Maher has been one of those artists for several years. I haven't heard a song in recent weeks that sums things up quite so well as this one.

Talk about things we take for granted, things we don't really think about. Like breathing. It happens reflexively, without our willing it. We don't think about it most of the time, unless our breathing is compromised for some reason or another. The breath that sustains our life is a gift, tangled up in God's gift of life. We continue breathing, we keep living, because of that entanglement with the life of God.

And other things we take for granted - the sun and the moon - together. Even though we don't see the moon every day, it's hard to imagine what the skies would be like without the sun to give us light by day, and the moon to reflect the sun's light by night.

In other words a) there are plenty of things we take for granted/don't really think about, and b) it's worth recalling (at least every once in awhile) that all of those things come down to the action of God. If we live and move and have being, it's because of God.

If we shine, if we love, if we're strong, whatever we are, whatever we do, it's because of him first, and us second. We are not our own. Looking with the eyes of faith, it IS hard to imagine it otherwise. And that is beautiful.

+Peace and good.