Just Breathe

Just Breathe

A Reflection by Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Take a deep breath. Let it fill your lungs. Hold it for a moment. Now, let it go.

Feels different when you actually pay attention to it, doesn’t it?

Breathing it’s the most natural thing in the world. We don’t think about it, we just do it. Until life starts throwing punches. Until the weight of stress sits heavy on our chests. Until our minds spin in a hundred directions, and suddenly, something as basic as breathing feels like work.

But let me tell you something this time, you’re not going to lose yourself in the chaos.

Not physically. Not emotionally. Not mentally.

This is the season of self-mastery. Not controlling people. Not micromanaging every detail of your life.

But owning your response learning when to hold on and when to let go. It’s about realizing that while you can’t always change what happens, you can choose how you react. And that? That’s real power.

Because here’s the thing breath is space. It’s the moment between reaction and wisdom, between fear and trust.

Let Go of the Weight

For years, I dragged my past around like an overstuffed duffel bag carrying old regrets, missed chances, and words I wished I could unsay. It was like I’d turned my history into a heavy chain, one that clanked behind me with every step.

And for what?

Grace shows up brand new every morning, yet there I was, waking up like I had to earn another shot at redemption, like I had to prove I was worthy of the mercy already freely given.

Then I heard it. "Just breathe."

I closed my eyes. Inhaled. Exhaled. And for the first time in a long time, I stopped gripping my past like it was a life raft.

Because here’s the truth: yesterday doesn’t get to define today.

No matter how messy things got, no matter how many times I stumbled, grace still met me at the door.

So I let it go.

I stopped carrying what was behind me into what could be ahead of me.

And I just breathed.

Where You Can Go When You Let God Be God

Ever been in a place where nothing makes sense? When you’ve done everything right prayed, worked, waited but the breakthrough still hasn’t come?

I’ve been there. And let me tell you, those moments will humble you real quick.

I used to think if I just tried harder, planned better, or stressed enough, I could force life to go my way. But life doesn’t work like that. And honestly? That’s a good thing.

Because oh, the places you’ll go when you stop trying to be in charge and let God handle it.

When you loosen your grip on what’s out of your control, when you quit trying to kick down doors that were never meant for you, when you stop treating life like a puzzle you have to solve you start to see things shift.

You land in places you never expected:

• In peace where anxiety used to live.

• In clarity where confusion once had a grip on you.

• In abundance where you once felt empty.

• In healing where pain used to define you.

• In restoration where things that seemed broken beyond repair come back together.

• In deep, unwavering joy not the surface-level kind that depends on circumstances, but the kind that settles into your bones.

• In purpose where once you felt like you were just drifting.

You see doors open that you never knocked on.

You find paths cleared that you didn’t even know existed.

You realize you’re no longer drowning in stress you’re walking on still waters.

So I stopped fighting.

Stopped overthinking.

Stopped doubting every step.

And I breathed.

Because God already knows the way.

Mama Knew What She Was Talking About

My mother, Marva, always told me, "Let go and let God." She said it with that quiet certainty only a praying woman has, like she already knew the storms I’d have to walk through one day. Back then, I brushed it off.

I thought I had things figured out.

Until life came knocking. Until the ground beneath me shook. Until I realized that my own strength wasn’t enough to hold it all together.

And suddenly, I heard her voice again:

"Let go and let God."

So I did.

And I breathed.

Surrender Is Strength

That word surrender used to rub me the wrong way. Felt too much like quitting, like waving a white flag.

But what if surrender isn’t weakness?

What if it’s the boldest move you could make?

What if surrender means choosing to trust, even when you don’t have all the answers?

What if it’s putting down the fight not because you’ve lost, but because you’ve finally realized you were never supposed to fight it alone?

For the longest time, I treated stress like a job requirement, like if I wasn’t worrying, I wasn’t working hard enough. But all that did was exhaust me.

Then I heard it again. "Just breathe."

So I did.

I let my shoulders drop.

Unclenched my jaw.

Let the tension in my hands fade.

And I surrendered.

Not to defeat.

But to peace.

Because peace isn’t found in having all the answers it’s found in trusting the One who does.

Be Still and Know

One verse keeps echoing in my mind every time life tries to knock the wind out of me:

"Be still and know that I am God."

Not “panic and know.”

Not “stress and know.”

Not “overthink it and know.”

Just be still.

That’s the challenge, isn’t it?

Not to force. Not to fix. Not to freak out.

But to just trust.

It’s not easy. Some days, I still wrestle with doubt. But every single time, I come back to the same truth:

My job isn’t to control everything. My job is to trust the One who does.

And so, I remind myself: breathe.

Because breath is life.

Breath is peace.

Breath is surrender.

And as long as I have breath in my lungs, it means my story isn’t over yet.

So I exhale yesterday’s burdens.

I inhale today’s mercy.

And I just breathe.

To You, My Reader

Wherever you are, whatever you’re facing just breathe.

Put down the weight you’ve been carrying. The stress that’s been sitting heavy on your chest. The battles you’ve been trying to fight alone.

You don’t have to hold it all together.

You don’t have to figure it all out right now.

You just have to breathe.

Inhale grace.

Exhale worry.

Because when you stop wrestling with life and start trusting the One who holds it all, that’s when you’ll finally feel what real peace is.