I can’t breathe. The words instantly conjure the horrible image of the desperate cries of a dying man. In the following days, George Floyd’s words have come to symbolize the shouts of our Black brothers and sisters whose centuries of racial mistreatment are epitomized in the death of Mr. Floyd. It is about how we treat each other. It is about how we should love each other.

It shouldn’t escape us that this moment has occurred during the time of a worldwide pandemic. We have been wearing masks for several months now in an attempt to keep from breathing on each other. We are told that the mask is one way to protect people around us. It is about how we treat each other. It is about how we should love each other.

Converging on these two images of breathing is the current season of the church’s worship. Many Christians around the world mark this time of year as the season of Pentecost. Sundays are identified by their date in relation to Pentecost, i.e., June 14 is the Second Sunday after Pentecost. As recorded in the second chapter of Acts, Pentecost marks the occasion when God sent the Holy Spirit to imbue His people with His presence and purpose in the world.

When most of our English translations mention God’s Spirit, the word translated “Spirit” is the Greek word pneuma and its variations. The word means breath, wind, and spirit. To be filled with God’s Spirit is nothing short of being filled with God’s breath.

I’m not smart enough to figure out what must all be done to end racism toward my fellow Black citizens. I also don’t understand how to reopen our country without increasing the cases of the virus. What I do know is that an answer involves improving how we treat each other and love each other.

We must no longer accept the often-repeated excuses of white Americans: It’s just the way things were when I grew up; I don’t voice my feelings about racism, but I’m not a racist; I’m not Black, so I will never understand racism; I don’t know many Black people. The list of statements we use to avoid our contributions to racism goes on and on.

When we recognize these statements for what they are, false justifications for our actions and inactions, we can begin our own individual efforts to make our corner of the planet better. We can start to live as Pentecost Christians, breathing deeply the life-sustaining oxygen of God’s Spirit. 

What does being infused with the breath of God look like? Our actions will bear the fruit. We will be driven by love, not hate; by joy, not cynicism; by peace, not violence; by patience, not prejudice; by kindness, not indifference; by goodness, not suspicion; by faithfulness, not inconsistency; by gentleness, not callousness; and by self-control, not impulsive distrust (see Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit is about how we treat each other. It is about how we should love each other.

That kind of world is one in which we can all breathe.

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