Buddy Breathing.  By Tracey Mason.

I first learned about the buddy system on a vacation excursion in Hawaii when some friends and I had an opportunity to learn how to scuba dive.  I’m generally not one to jump into new things or try anything risky so  I chose rather to just watch from the distance and paddle around with a safe snorkel, mask, and fins.  After about ten minutes my curiosity got the best of me, and I swam over to listen to the instructor.

The instructor was getting them all familiar with the equipment and explained that SCUBA was an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.  Then after some guidance, the instructor said he would strap on his tank of oxygen, grab a person around the waist and they would dive down together.  He then would take turns with that person breathing from the demand valve.  He said it was called “buddy breathing.”

I stayed near the surface where it felt safe and watched below through my mask as each instructor pulled his buddy down deeper and deeper.  He would draw in the oxygen from the tank then passed the apparatus to his new spit-swapping friend.  That person was totally dependent upon him in their time of need to breathe, which kept them from drowning.  That was the part that terrified me.   I was the type of person that let my mind race with wild scenarios… what if he let go of me?  What if he decided not to share the oxygen?  What if a shark came by and he panicked and just left me there as he swam off?  But none of these things happened.

Actually, as I watched each person calmly breathe with the help of their breathing buddy, I realized at various times in life I have found myself in deep waters and was totally dependent on a friend to sustain me.  Many times, in our lives when tragedy, sorrow and heartaches occur, that is when a friend helps us take that next breath.  There have been times when I was so out of breath and I was sinking in despair — when a kind word, a thoughtful card, a listening ear, or an unexpected check in the mail helped me to inhale one more time.  There have been countless people that helped me when life took my breath away.  I literally have a friend that after she heard of the suicide of my father, she started texting me a Bible verse every day!  It’s been over five years, and this sweet lady has shared life giving words through Bible verses that have healed my heart, my soul, and my mind more than anything else could.  It was like a continuous flow of oxygen to my heart to sustain me throughout each day.

Maybe I didn’t partake in that scuba lesson that day, but I’ve learned the essential need of buddy breathing in deep water moments of life.  It took some time to realize how important it is to give someone a breath of help when they are drowning and to look for opportunities to fill the desperate needs of those in trouble.  To be a buddy breathing friend can be like a supply of oxygen when someone’s tank is empty.  If we just take the time to assist those in need with encouragement, a time in prayer, hope from God’s word, or even a hug we could help sustain a friend in their deepest seas so they don’t drift down deeper into the darkness of heartaches.

Galatians 6:2 says, Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Buddy breathing is what Hearts Being Healed ministry is all about.  We share our stories of how God healed, forgave, and loved us through our breathless moments in life.  We share the true oxygen that our souls need to live life again and revive joy and hope to those that are drowning.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10…

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. (KJV)

Similar to buddy breathing are the instructions given while flying.  A person must put on their own oxygen first before assisting others.  We at HBH have our masks on and are eagerly willing to help assist those in need to restore a breath of life that only Christ can give.  We offer a follow up class to continue the healing process which will truly help you to breath on your own again.

Please join us at the Prescott, AZ conference -August 17, 2024 or the Nampa, Idaho conference -September, 14, 2024.  Register online at Heartsbeinghealed.org