Sigh!

by Heather
from Virtuous Daughters, January 2012~Volume 11, Number 10

Sigh! Do you have the habit of allowing sighs to escape your lips throughout the day? Have you ever thought to consider that little gesture? Most of the time they transpire without our realizing. I was convicted about sighs recently and would like to share with you what the Lord revealed to me. Are they only harmless little puffs of air?
   
​What type of sigh do you utter?

 Very common is the “Sigh of Frustration.” This sigh vents from irritation and is often in the form of hot air. (Sometimes accompanied by a very unfeminine growl.) Maybe you started your day out on the wrong foot, the hot water ran out in the middle of your shower, or you realized you skipped some stitches in the piece you are crocheting after you’ve completed many rows on top of it and now you must undo so much work to correct the mistake!
   
Maybe your sighs are brought about by real intense conundrums. Consider Joseph. I’m sure “frustrated” is too mild of a word to describe his feelings when his brothers sold him into slavery or when he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. He bore his frustrations patiently and in Genesis 50:20, he speaks to his brothers saying, “...ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has “ever occurred” to God? Everything that has ever happened or ever will happen is no surprise to Him—even what you’re sighing over! God could intend to use  your frustrations for good. So, if you have no hot water for the remainder of your shower, be grateful you have a home with running water. If it’s the mistake in your crochet, thank God you are not paralyzed and your fingers are able to maneuver a needle. The next time you’re tempted to let a “sigh of frustration” emerge, I challenge you to turn your predicament into a blessing!
   
Secondly, there is the “Daydreamer’s Sigh.” Like when you allow your thoughts to go unguarded and flutter miles away from the dishpan of soapy water where your fingers are motionless. Girls daydream about different things depending on their current season of life. Many things glitter to our eyes and find themselves the cause of our fantasying. For you, it could be the beautiful doll in the catalog, the “someday” that Prince Charming arrives on his noble white steed, the pretty skirt in the store window, or in your prayer to God for “just one good friend.” Whatever it is, it robs our heart of contentment and peace and gives us a wistful sigh. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” He promises in His Word that we have Him. He gave Himself and suffered unimaginable pain for you and me. He has given us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Isn’t He truly all we need? After we consider it in that light, I’m sure we’ll realize whatever we’re daydreaming of is really not of much importance. Our life on earth is but a vapor (James 4:14), and what we sigh the “Daydreamer’s Sigh” over is temporal.
   
Do you notice something that the “Sigh of Frustration” and the “Daydreamer’s Sigh” have in common? They are both the result of sin. And, the root of the problem goes much deeper than where the air escapes our slightly parted lips. They are both symptoms of an impure heart. One stems from an ungrateful spirit, and when heaved within someone’s earshot, you’ve automatically changed the atmosphere to negative and have placed a measure of strain in your home. The other forms from discontentment and causes us to take for granted the many blessings all around us. These sighs are little indications of the sin that is lurking in our hearts. Sin, in all its ugliness, is not to be taken lightly or trifled with. Our sighs are not harmless little puffs of air. But, praise the Lord we have a Redeemer Who is “able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:19)!
   
The last type of sigh is the “Sigh of True Contentment.” Like the one you release when you stretch under your covers in bed at night after a long day of hard work; gazing at the stars out your window. You might indulge in a contented, tranquil sigh as you survey a clean room, enjoy a bite of your favorite dessert, after reading a book with a happy ending, or when you count your blessings. I think of Luke 2:19, “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I can imagine she breathed a “Sigh of True Contentment” as she listened to the account told by the shepherds of all the angels robed in their beauty announcing the birth of the Christ Child; her baby boy!
   
Our Savior desires the only sighs that escape our lips be “Sighs of True Contentment.” So, the next time we feel a sigh emerging, let’s examine the root of the problem, in our heart.