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That’s my blood” is a popular saying used as a term of solidarity, oneness, and loyalty. We use the phrase “That’s my blood” very casually.

The saying often refers to family members who share the same bloodline through parents, siblings, cousins, and other relatives. It’s the blood of their kinship that ties them together.

But when we look at blood through a biblical lens, it carries a much deeper meaning.

The First Bloodshed

In the book of Genesis, we see bloodshed introduced after both Eve and Adam ate the forbidden

fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17; 3:6)

As a child growing up, I had tons of superheroes that I enjoyed watching on TV and in movies. Their character arcs were always so compelling. In the case of Batman, his parents were murdered when he was very young, causing Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, to become an orphan. Fast forward, he created high-tech gadgets to help him fight crime. Batman was constantly coming to the aid of others and saving people from evil villains.

Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus in the Bible, and their story plays an integral role in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In Luke 10:38–42, we see a glimpse into their interaction with Jesus:

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Let’s be honest—when we see someone from our race dating outside of it, why does it sometimes stir up emotions? Is it really about race, or does something deeper play into how we feel? For example, imagine Elroy Jenkins (black man) strolling down the street holding hands with Lou Mae (white woman). Now, Elroy is known to be flaky, unmotivated, and a man of a hundred and one schemes. When we see Elroy with Lou Mae, do we feel that usual pang of "he left us for a white woman"? Probably not. Instead, we’re more likely to think, *"She can have him!"* 

If you’re part of the workforce and adhere to the structural system of having managers and supervisors, once a year, or even mid-year, management conducts a performance appraisal of their employees. The performance appraisal reviews your production for the year, whether you are meeting the expectations of the position, your interpersonal skills, knowledge, and growth. The appraisal even covers areas for improvement or ways to perform at a higher level in the position. Each year, the manager cross-examines the previous performance appraisal to assess the growth or decline from previous years. Based on this information, they determine if you’re progressing in a manner that suits the position.