Bodies and Faith

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

-James 2:26

I now hate the smell of formaldehyde.

Sadly, after this semester, it just makes me think of cadavers. Not sure if that will ever change.

But! I am so grateful for those people who have donated their bodies to science so that we can learn more about the vessel that our spirit is contained in during this life.

We have studied off of cadavers this entire semester. Multiple times a week, for hours on end, we learn. We examine the inside working of the human body. We see with our own eyes how our bodies function, why they function that way, and it just blows my mind.

And it’s thanks to these cadavers that we can learn off of real specimens. However, it is hard sometimes seeing them as fellow human beings, who used to be alive and well, working, laughing, crying, thinking, and acting. There is a very notable difference between “them” and “us”.

It makes me think of the few funerals I’ve been to. Seeing the bodies of those who have recently passed always feels like something is missing. Because it is. Their souls have left their bodies and are now in the Spirit World, waiting for the next step in their eternal progression. It is humbling to see the bodies of others and the lack of a spirit inside.

James had it right when he compared faith to the body. It needs something more substantial to keep it alive and well. If we neglect our bodies, they degenerate. If we neglect our faith, it does much the same thing. This scripture has just a little bit more depth to it now that I have seen a body without the spirit. It reminds me to upkeep my faith with works and continue on in the path of discipleship.