Having grown up in Tennessee and Florida, I grew up in very humid climates. The humidity was smothering, and so of course that’s what we emphasized to others when talking about the weather. That’s what we complained about most often. So when I moved to Colorado, the thing that hit me first was the lack of humidity. My hair stays the way I style it in the morning, and the rain dries from the ground in less than 30 minutes. But very quickly, the big difference hit me: lack of oxygen. I remember chasing my little brothers up a set of stairs just days after moving here and being so embarrassed at how winded I was and how quickly I got there!
Now, years later, I don’t even notice the lack of oxygen. The air feels fresher here, crisper and more electric. Now if I get winded it has nothing to do with the air.
I’ve gone back to visit my old homes a few times since moving here and acclimating, and every time I get off the plane at BNA or RSW, before I even step outside, I can sense the change in the air. There’s simply so much more air to breathe! I can stay active so much longer. My lungs, my skin, my whole body, feel fuller and more robust.
I hadn’t thought of this recently and have had no reason until last night. I found myself in the company of a unique group of believers. I’ve been in their company and in conversation and prayer with them several times now, and I’ve been unable to put a finger on what this feeling is. See, I’ve never been able to find peers, outside my closest circle of friends, who challenge me to holiness this way. They challenge me to holiness and still provide a place of acceptance and freedom, and it’s so rare.
It’s just like getting off the plane at a lower altitude. See, I’ve been living this life for a while with less air in a sense, with few people who are on my level intellectually and spiritually and relationally. And you get used to that. You operate on less; your lungs become more efficient and less needy. And God sustains and teaches you during that time. He’s sustained and taught me. But now, with these people around me challenging me to dig into the Word and character of God, joking around but still knowing when the moment’s holy, loving each other not just on the surface but enough to rebuke and correct and say “I was wrong” rather than argue to win, I feel like there’s more air to be breathed, capacity in my lungs I’d forgotten was there! And it’s so beautiful. It’s so beautiful that it’s changing me and making me better and reminding me to be dependent on others, that it’s allowed. It’s a group that’s a living being, showing me the character and exact likeness of God.
I’m grateful for the lack of oxygen and for this flood. I’m grateful for the things the one’s produced in me and what the other’s in the process of producing. God is evident in both and brilliant in all His workings. But I’m grateful for what’s filling my lungs and mind and spirit this moment. And every first and third Saturday of the month.
Samantha Taylor
