Savior and Friend

“Ye are they who my Father hath given me; ye are my friends; …for from henceforth I shall call you friends.” (D&C 84:63, 77) Although there was indeed great suffering and anguish endured by Christ in Gethsemane, I believe you and I would have been humbly rejoicing as he performed the act of the atonement, knowing that in His profound agony, was an even greater depth of love. It was love and compassion that ultimately brought Christ toward the completion of the atonement. It was His love for each of us, personally and individually. If He only needed to atone for me, He would have. And He did! This piece represents the love and the intimacy of Christ’s gift of the atonement for the individual. It’s as if the viewer has just stumbled upon Him as He is about to offer His mind, body and spirit in honor of the onlooker. The Scarlet Anemonies, nicknamed “Drops of Blood”, pay tribute to the suffering, but the overall piece is intended to be light-filled and hope-filled, with Christ’s face