Kinship Through The Blood of Christ
I have eight children, twenty-eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. The process of adoption helped us claim two of our children with our own biology adding two more. The next four came through the marriages of said children. We quickly became Grandma and Grandpa to twenty-one grandchildren within a space of two decades. Two of those grandchildren are adopted and then four were added recently through the second marriage of one of our sons. We also claim the spouses of three married grandchildren and a year ago we became great grandparents to a darling little girl. Does all that make your head spin? It does mine, especially when we all get together. The little ones range in age from a one-year-old to a twenty-six-year-old and the personalities are varied, to say the least. You know what else, it’s easy to love them all.
Someone asked me once if my affection for my biological children was greater somehow than towards those whom we adopted. I thought about it for a bit and decided that for me, love can’t be controlled or directed. When our first child was placed in my arms, my heart embraced him and I couldn’t imagine loving anything more than I loved him. It seemed natural to give my heart to him and pledge my allegiance to his care and safety. Our second son was placed with us three years later and because I felt so completely in love with his older brother, I told myself that I needed to show equal love to this dark-headed bundle in my arms. It wasn’t hard at all. His sweet nature and beautiful dark eyes studied mine. Our hearts entwined, love flourished and life was wonderous.
Two years later, we found ourselves able to provide a body for a child and again there was concern voiced that there may be a natural tendency to show favoritism to a child we created. I was determined not to allow that to happen. A third little boy joined our family. He had strawberry blond hair, big blue eyes and the entire family catered to him. Without even realizing it, my love had no problem encompassing these children, each as dear to my heart as the other. Three years later, we welcomed a precious baby girl. Her brothers adored her and the love in our family swallowed her completely.
A daughter-in-law chose to remove herself from our family and left a hole in our hearts with that choice. Being abandoned was a difficult pill to swallow for all of us and seeing my son suffer through that experience was heart-wrenching, but that’s another story altogether.
Our daughter also left our family but not of her own volition. Cancer consumed her body; it could not consume her eternal spirit. We all continue to adjust to that loss and take comfort in the fact that we will see her again. This promise is made sure due to a plan of happiness I’ll refer to later as the Plan of Salvation.
Through the years I have heard many times the term “blood relative” as opposed to adopted children, stepchildren, and half-brother or sister. The idea that there is a hierarchy of family seems to be based on whether someone is biologically related as opposed to a myriad of other relationships making up families, indirectly inferring who are the “real” members of a family.
I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have been taught the Plan of Salvation. Therefore, I know that in the preexistence, we all lived together as spirit brothers and sisters and according to the Plan, we each agreed to take upon ourselves a body made of flesh, bones, and blood provided by earthly parents. In that premortal state, we were made aware that while we dwelled on earth, those temporary coverings would be subjected to all the ills of mortality and our life on this earth would be a test of whether we could live by faith. We would make mistakes but would be able to become clean again through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior. He would come to this earth for the express purpose of showing us by example how to live and then offer his blood to pay for our sins. At some point, he will stand between us and God the Father as our intermediary and offer himself as a ransom to pay the price of our penance.
According to the Plan, we are part of a common family, the family of God. From an eternal perspective, only the blood Christ spilled for us and our decision to recognize that sacrifice matters. Christ’s blood is what makes us whole and worthy of abiding in the presence of Deity. While living and existing on this earth we expend energy inhabiting our earthly coverings kept vibrant with mortal blood. Once we pass from this earth and resume our spiritual journey, we’re depending on the blood of Christ to qualify us for an eternal home. The only blood relative we need have a concern about is Christ.
Furthermore, I made covenants with my Heavenly Father to obey the commandments, do whatever I can to build the Kingdom of God here on earth, and to serve others. I am promised that our family can and will live forever as a unit. Those blessings have been sealed upon me by virtue of sacred temple covenants performed by those holding the Priesthood of God. Two of my children were born under that covenant and the other two were sealed to me and my husband in a temple of God with all the same promises, as though they had been born under the covenant.
Blood does not matter beyond it being needed to fulfill our earthly destiny. It has no part in our eternal nature. At some point, the body will have served its purpose and the skin, bones, and blood will separate from the life of our spirits. Without that spirit, the covering is left to shrivel and become a part of the earth while the spirit, never to die again, will proceed to the next part of an eternal journey.
Christ’s blood is what matters.