the washing with water through the word

Look at us, and realize how beautiful we are. We are entwined, whether we acknowledge it or not.  You laugh, and my heart leaps with joy. I weep, and your shoulders are soaked with tears. When one stumbles, the others' shins ache too; and when one struggles, the weight of the whole body is thrown behind him. I hear, and it is your mouth that speaks the words I want to say. You see, and I take my hands and do. It is your talents that make me strong, and my strength that pushes you toward your goal. We are different, yes, but the same Blood pulses in our veins, the same Spirit energizes us.

We are many, but we are one. We are broken, but we are healed. We are a strange mix, but we are perfect, set into place just as our Savior desires. He has brought us here, and given us to each other.

But we don't always acknowledge that, do we?

Some days, we seem like an infant, just discovering how all things are connected. My hands flail, and scratch at your face. You take wobbly steps forward and squash my dreams. We become exhausted, bruised, bloodied, by our very own foolish acts . . . yet we wonder why our joy is gone.

Other days it seems we have contracted an autoimmune disorder. You poison hearts against me. I cut my eyes at you and ignore the cries for help. We look all right from the outside, oh yes, of course we do; but inside we are filled with betrayal. We suffer from our very own attacks . . . yet we wonder why our life is ebbing away.

What if we lived, you and I, like my own well-being really depended upon yours, and vice versa? What if I didn't put out my hands without first considering whether it benefited you? What if you didn't step forward until you knew I was ready to be there with you?

What if we were a body, not of an uncoordinated child or a dying man, but of a vibrant and joyous bride, whose every action and thought is focused toward one single thing . . . the happiness of her groom . . .