By: Wrondell Timothy, CVA, B.Th., B.Sc., M.Sc.
“I can’t breathe,” the words infamously echoed by George Floyd as he lay beneath the death-fastening grip of Derek Chauvin, a police officer attached to the Minneapolis Police Department. This incident, captured on film and shown repeatedly to excitable masses of viewers and commentators worldwide, sparked waves of protests fueled by strong emotions resulting in violence, vandalism and retaliation, the fruit of which may never be quantified.
This incident sparked numerous pressing issues that demand continuous attention. These include matters concerning social justice, police funding and standards, and race/ethnic relations, which are all spinoffs from the incident. Slogans and movements such as ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘White Lives Matter,’ and ‘All Lives Matter,’ gained momentum from the publicity surrounding the incident and influenced by the core values championed by each respective advocate.
Currently aligning oneself with any of these prominent movements inevitably puts one in an adversarial position with the others. It is for this reason I propose addressing an element of the incident that is universally applicable. We can all acknowledge, if not agree, that George Floyd found himself in an undesirable situation that must have been extremely uncomfortable and even painful. However, discomfort and pain can both prove beneficial when viewed through spiritual lens.
Operating outside of our comfort zone, regardless of the level of discomfort and unease it creates, has often resulted in the development of new methods for achieving goals, thus fostering creativity–an element reflecting the image of God in humanity according to the Geneses 1:26-27. Similarly, pain, though sometimes unbearable, serves as a warning system for the body, and can prompt us to take corrective action to address specific health concerns or injuries, thus preventing further deterioration.
However, for me, and I hope for you as well, the George Floyd incident was a timely reminder and a wake-up call regarding my spiritual condition and the practical application of prayer. The New York Times, 2022, reported that Mr. Floyd lay immobilized by Mr. Chauvin and three other police officers for nine minutes. During this time, he experienced a level of desperation that many of us can only imagine, but without which, none of us would survive. In this context, survival is not merely living to tell the tale. No, the survival I refer to here is of an eternal nature–the ‘life’ that really matters. None of us will be able to attain eternal survival/life if we do not first experience a level of desperation for God, similar to the desperation George Floyd experienced that day.
The inequities and inequalities that characterize our world today will persist until the end of time, if unconverted hearts prevail among our planet’s inhabitants. This is not to suggest that efforts to correct these imbalances are futile, but rather to recognize an area that external conditions cannot fully control. If we can empathize with the experience of George Floyd, and endeavour to relate to his feelings of utter helplessness and complete dependence on the actions of another to determine whether we will ever breathe again, only then will we have begun to experience a revolutionized prayer life.
In a devotional by E.G White, she describes prayer as the ‘Breath of the Soul’ (Maranatha, 85). Just as breathing is vital to physical life, so is prayer to spiritual life. This is why God admonishes us through the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to ‘pray without ceasing’. Ceasing to breathe, even briefly, can be fatal and sometimes necessitates resuscitation. Similarly, when we become aware of disruptions in our ‘spiritual breathing,’ we must take immediate action, as failure to do so could result in eternal loss. “I can’t breathe,” while it may represent an uncomfortable level of vulnerability for most, is an essential criterion for a prevailing prayer life.
‘I can’t breathe,’ is therefore our acknowledgment to God that the cares of this world, the challenges of life, and even our own indifference, have stifled our spiritual sensitivity; and without an injection of new life, as only God can provide, we will not survive. It is giving God permission to ALWAYS RESUSCITATE US, even when we do not sense our need for resuscitation. However, if we are fortunate enough to recognize our need for, and feel the desperation for God to give us one more breath, we are in a good place, because God specializes in injecting new life so that every suffocating person can breathe again.
References
The New York Times. 2022. How George Floyd Died, and What Happened Next. New York NY, 29July.
White, Ellen G. 1999. “Maranatha.” The Breath of the Soul, 18 March: 85. https://whiteestate.org/devotional/mar/03_18/#:~:text=Pray%20without%20ceasing.,th e%20channel%20of%20all%20blessings.
