Calling their names, sharpening heart, mind, body, and soul
When I think about George Floyd and Eric Garner uttering these three words “I can’t breathe,” Genesis 2:7 (NIV) comes to mind: “God formed man out of dirt, he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being, a living soul.” And how easily God breathed life into man and how easily man can take another’s human life.
This action and countless others have saddened and outraged the Black community for centuries. Today, some of us are in a state of shock reliving protests of the 50s and 60s. Many joining their first protests. Some of us have no words because we are in disbelief. As of this writing, many of us are in our thirteenth week of COVID-19 pandemic, grieving losses and adjusting to new normal.
When the pandemic coursed through the United States the tagline “we’re in this together” floated on commercials, on social media, on grocery store windows, and fire station signs. But honestly, we knew we were not in this together when once again brown and black people were suffering the most. We knew we were not in this together because the first wave of the virus affected brown and black people at alarming rates, and then the virus of racism spiked its ugly head, repeatedly. Breonna Taylor, shot eight times in her apartment, Ahmaud Aubery shot while jogging, and the murky shootings and killings of David McAtee and Tony McDade. The list could go on reminding us of Trevon Martin and Sandra Bland whose breath was snatched from their souls.
When God breathed life into the man he gave him life to have power over the land, over the animals not over people. God did not create humans to control other humans. The Message version of Genesis 1:26-28 says:
“God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Nowhere at the beginning of creation does God say stop man from breathing, take his life. Take her life. God created man and woman in the image of him. That image is justice and fair, compassion, and grace. That image is forgiveness and equality. The image of God mirrors taking responsibility for each other.
God’s likeness is not reflected in the image displayed by police violence, hate crimes, inequality, and oppression. The image of a police officer putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck reflects the image of evil, wickedness, racism, America’s greatest sin. God has no favorites (Romans 2:11).
From a biblical perspective, a moment of wickedness that grieved God’s heart caused him to wipe out the earth leaving one righteous man and his family. Depravity in the world, BC 2469, the population increased, humans turned God’s blessing into a curse with “wickedness, perversion, infectious diseases” (Genesis 6).
God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them” (Genesis 6:5-8).
If God made us in the image of him, why are police officers knocking the breath out of brown and black people? Why are “Karens” stealing the breath of brown and black people? Why are we suffocating with economic disparities?
I’m just saying how can we breathe the life God gave us if the knee of “white supremacy” is on our neck? How will we prosper and reproduce, if we can’t breathe? How can and will we become responsible for the people on this earth if we are filled with evil, evil, and more evil of racism?
Until next time,
Stay safe. Wash your hands & trust God’s justice.
Angela
P.S. I will continue this conversation with God’s spoken Word on June 12, 2020, during Sunday Morning virtual worship service.