Breathing Space

After healing a crippled beggar in Acts 3, Peter delivers a sermon in the temple to the amazed onlookers. At the climax of his sermon Peter says this:

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. (Acts 3.19)

The Greek word anapsuxis translated as "refreshing" only occurs once in the New Testament, here in Acts 3. The literal meaning of anapsuxis is to catch your breath again. It can also mean a cooling, refreshing breeze, being revived with fresh air. In one of her Easter sermons, Fleming Rutledge translates anapsuxis as "breathing space."

In our anxious and stressed out world, anapsuxis is very good news. We're drowning and struggling for air. We need a moment to catch our breath again. We need to feel a cool breeze upon our face.

We need some breathing space.