Have you ever noticed that a lot of things in life- and in the gospel- come in twos?
And have you ever noticed how those things connect?
Even things that aren’t supposed to connect, connect.
Let’s start with a simple example. Take Red and Blue. Two drastically different colors- one representing heat, passion, intensity, while the other represents coolness, calm, serenity. One might think that these colors could never go together. And yet when you mix them, you get Purple- a beautiful color that can only be made when you mix these two strikingly different shades. Purple, a color that represents spirituality, royalty, peace- the colors of Heaven.
On a deeper level, let’s take Man and Woman. These human beings are biologically and spiritually designed to be different- so different, that many today believe they were never meant to go together. But without just one of them, human life could never exist. It is only with both Man and Woman that the act of procreation can be had, and that children can come into the world, and Earth’s destiny can continue to press forward.
Within the human body, what about the Heart and the Brain? One can think, feel, and observe the entire world around us, while the other works overtime to pump blood to every corner of the body (though many associate the latter as the feeling organ between the two). But the Brain cannot complete a single connection or signal without oxygen-rich blood pumped into its vessels, and the Heart cannot pump a single time without electrical impulses from the brain telling it to do so. Both need each other to operate properly, and keep the human they reside in alive.
While on the topic of the heart, let’s talk about blood. Sorry, not trying to get morbid here, but there is a connection I can make. When the Savior first instituted the sacrament, He said that the wine (or water, now) represented His blood, and the bread represented His body. Both were reminders of the sacrifices He made for all of mankind.
One may think there is absolutely no connection between Bread and Blood, but I can see sacredness and symbolism in each.
Bread has been regarded as sacred in scripture since the dawn of time. Bread is a basic fuel for our bodies, who are entirely dependent on the food we eat to keep us healthy and, well, alive. And the bread itself is a combination of all four elements- heat from an oven, air within causing it to rise, flour from the earth, and water itself holding it all together. Bread, in both the process of making it and eating it, is an apt tool for summing up the most basic human experience. We need fuel, connection, and life- in all elemental forms- to thrive. No wonder it was so relevant for the Savior to refer to Himself as “the Bread of Life.”
Now, blood. It may seem…gross…to some of us, but blood is just our life force that keeps our fragile bodies upright day-to-day. Pumped from our hearts, arguably the hardest-working organ in our bodies (tied with the brain), blood carries vital oxygen, nutrients, and virus-fighting cells to every corner of our bodies. Blood paves the road for our small ecosystems to thrive, and sends strength to each muscle and bone, and allows me to type this entry right now. Think about it: whatever the cause of your death, be it illness, a freak accident, or spontaneously having your arm pop off (hey, it could happen), every single person’s ultimate demise is losing access to our vital life source, be it a cause of bleeding out or our hearts stop beating entirely. Blood is what makes us, well, alive. There’s a reason seeing it is gross- because you’re not supposed to see it! You need it inside your body to live.
So, how do Bread and Blood correlate? Well, if we didn’t have just one, we’d die. Even if we were perfectly healthy and our hearts worked just fine, if we didn’t have access to anything to eat, it wouldn’t matter- we’d die of starvation. And even if we were perfectly prosperous and had all the food one could ask for, if our heartbeats were stopped, none of that would matter, because we’d die of no access to blood. Both are essential to our physical survival.
But they also connect to our spiritual survival, too. We need both bread and water- emblems representing Christ’s body and blood- for the ordinance of the sacrament each week. Christ couldn’t just die without also suffering for our sins and afflictions in Gethsemane, and He couldn’t just suffer and then not die. He had the power to do either of these things, but He knew the Father’s will was to have His children saved from both physical and spiritual death. Both the physical and spiritual parts of His children’s lives were equally important. One could not exist without the other in the Plan.
And so we come to the final connection- between Body and Spirit.
All things go back to where they came from when they die. Plants decompose. Birds fall back to the ground. All of us will have our bodies returned to the Earth in one way or another when we die, for we were built of Her dust originally.
But our souls are not from here at all.
They come from Above. And they will return to where they came from when we die. They will be sent heavenward, to the stars, above the planets where their intelligences were first organized.
One might wonder how Earth and her bodies can connect with Heaven and his spirits.
But they were never meant to be separated, though it may feel we are constantly at war between them- temporal versus spiritual, carnal versus righteous. And yet spirits who have passed on call the separation from their bodies “torture.” Why?
Because difference does not equal separation.
We are children with skin of soil and stone, minds of electricity, and hearts of Life’s blood. And we have souls of white light, endless heavens, and dancing violet stars.
Listen to me. You are a child of God.
You may feel terribly out of place in this world, like you do not belong. But He does not create differences as an excuse to cast someone off. No, He created differences so they can belong. He wants you the way you are.
We are meant to connect. This is my testimony, that we are not meant to be separate. I do not have to hide from being different, and no one else does, either. You belong here regardless of the color of your skin, where you were born, your religious background, what your family or relationship life looks like, or any labels this world has come up with.
You belong here on Mama Earth just as much as you do in one of Heavenly Father’s temples.
These words are very near and dear to my heart, and I hope you will treat them as sacredly as I do.
You belong! Come and belong! It’s wonderful here, I promise.
blissfully yours,
Emma
