Pneumatology
The Story of the Spirit
John 20
What does consent—saying “yes”—to the Spirit look like?
How can sea turtles help us imagine our relationship with the Spirit?
How do spiritual practices rewire pathways in the brain?
Dove descending; St. Luke’s UMC, Jackson, MS
original photo by Ricky James; used with permission
What do we imagine…
might be the relationship between Spirit, human breath, and forgiveness? In the book of John we read that Jesus is said to have breathed the Spirit into his friends. And in the next moment, he draws their attention to relational conflict and forgiveness between them:
“He breathed on them and said to them,
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20)
We can understand the neurobiological phenomenon of trust to be soothing our nervous system in times of high stress, such as relational conflict. This soothing enables us to retain access to higher networks in the brain—the pathways we need for empathy, creativity, and intentional movement. And part of what soothes our body under stress is breath, oxygen, the slowing down of the outbreath and the physical relaxation that intentional breathwork makes possible.
Could it be that when Jesus says, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he is demonstrating how this works?
“Receive the soothing available when you exhale slowly… become aware of God’s presence which makes you safe enough under any circumstance.”
If Jesus breathing and inviting us to receive the Holy Spirit is related to our capacity for forgiveness, what do we imagine might be that relationship?
I’ll suggest we define forgiveness as a two-fold process of growing self awareness, “How am I feeling toward this person and their actions toward me?” along with God awareness, “I am safe enough because God is providing for my needs. Therefore, I can let go of my notion that harming this person in return is necessary or beneficial.”
Forgiveness:
“I am letting go of the idea that your suffering is necessary.”
And let’s notice a couple of things. First, if we don’t feel safe enough yet, it’s difficult—nearly impossible—to forgive someone. When our stress is too high, our brainstem is activated and our body is in threat mode. Therefore, Jesus’s demonstration of pausing, breathing, receiving the soothing available when we exhale slowly, becoming aware of God’s presence which makes us safe enough under any circumstance, may be a crucial practice. Intentional breathing creates the essential neurobiological conditions for us to access the upper pathways in the brain required to make forgiveness possible.
“I’m letting go.”
Second, if we haven’t ourselves received something earlier, it becomes difficult—nearly impossible—to give it to someone else. We can understand this physically; when we are fearful of God’s punishment, or imagining that God has demanded the suffering and death of someone else in our place, it’s likely our bodily stress—whether or not we’re consciously aware—will remain too high. It’s likely our brainstem will be vigilant and our body will function in low-level threat mode chronically, like a background program draining our CPU power.
Therefore, Jesus’s invitation to receive forgiveness, becoming aware of God’s forgiveness toward us which makes us safe enough in God’s presence under any circumstance, may also be a crucial practice. Intentional awareness of God’s nonviolent, nonpunishing, forgiving posture toward us, as reflected in Jesus, helps to create the essential neurobiological conditions for us to access the upper pathways in the brain required to make forgiveness of others suddenly possible.
If the experience of receiving forgiveness is necessary to establish the neural pathways in our brain which enable us to forgive others, this makes understanding what is revealed to us about God through the story of Jesus highly relevant to our human relationships with one another. But I do not believe we are the ones doing the rewiring of our own brains.
Knowing the mechanics by which the brain rewires removes none of the mystery of the fact that it does.
And when our neural networks link up in more beneficial, helpful ways, I do not believe we can take credit. I think we can understand ourselves always to have been helped by God, the Spirit, and often also by loving others, to do so.
Therefore, what is our part?
We might consider how the ocean currents life and carry sea turtles long distances. The strongest currents are consistent and move in discernible direction. They are deeper and unaffected by the wind on the surface or changing conditions in the air.
Alone, a sea turtle would be unable to swim the long distances, from locations across the world, back to the beach where it was first hatched. Swimming is not the sea turtle’s primary job. Rather, with wing-like flippers the turtle can propel itself into the flow of the current. And daily, with small efforts, the turtle can do what’s necessary to remain inside the flow of the current—self-correcting now and then when it drifts outside the flow.
We may not be able to do much to rewire our own brains, but I wonder if this is our part: to receive the support of the Spirit, through daily small efforts to say “yes” to it. This is the practice of consent I understand Jesus to be inviting with the word, “Receive…”
Breathe, notice, pay attention, say “yes,” become aware of God’s presence which makes us safe enough, regardless of our circumstance. These practices help to create the conditions in which the neural networks in our left and right brain hemispheres might link up across the midline—a horizontal integration. These practices also help to create the conditions in which the neural networks in our lower and upper brain regions might link up bottom-to-top—a vertical integration. And it is these new brain pathways that we might be surprised to discover change our inner felt sense of our own safety, and forgiveness, and trust… making it possible for us to forgive others and imitate Jesus’s practice of nonviolence—even toward those who are violent with us.
∞
To help us learn,
the Spirit moved inside us.
As we practiced saying “yes” to the Spirit,
our trust increased and our stress was regulated.
Through prayer and spiritual practice,
the Spirit helped to rewire pathways in our brain.
We became more integrated
—vertically and horizontally—
and God’s forgiving nonviolence
was more clearly reflected
in us.
Listening with you,
Questions for reflection:
When has the presence of God helped you feel safe enough, despite your circumstances?
What impact does breathing and noticing the presence of God have on your nervous system?
When have you discovered yourself capable of forgiving someone you didn’t think you could?
Further reading:
John 20:22–23
Sermons & homilies: What Does It Mean to Believe?
The Brain & the Spirit, Chapter 5, Integration, “The Spirit as Movement,” pp. 133–136; “Consent,” pp. 136–137; “Breath Prayer,” pp. 137–139; “The Lord’s Prayer,” pp. 139–142; “The Story of the Spirit,” pp. 142.
