Let it Go- Wedges

Something happens after a wedge is created between people or groups. It is either something nasty and full of resentment, or something powerful and beautiful. To get one, you fight. To get the other, you listen. Because of the crazy world we live in today, ironically, a conference I attended last year was devoted to creating bridges with others unlike yourselves, and working together for something much bigger than our differences. There are multiple ways we can actually fight for unity, regardless of how different our opinions are. There are multiple ways we give up unity, however, when we stop doing these things:

We stop hearing. We stop listening to anything that person/group says because we now believe they don't hold a single valuable thing to say, simply because of the one opinion we don't agree with. This isn't only unfair, but degrading. When we stop listening to to each other, we stop understanding. When we stop understanding, we stop being a human being for unity.

We stop speaking. After you stop hearing, you stop speaking to "them". In fact, I know chaos is about to ensue when people stop talking to each other and talk about each other instead. It's a rocky road to walk down and usually that one is hard to return from as I've seen too many times before... especially from teenagers.

We stop seeing. Suddenly everything is about this conflict. Everything your life hinges on revolves around how you can avoid seeing "them" and as a result, we stop seeing everything else around us. We stop seeing a human, and start seeing an enemy.

Finally, we eventually stop being. It ties everything together stated above. We dwell on the conflict so hard because it's gotten so far out of hand, that we can hardly function, let alone carry out a mission we're originally called to. Unity is mission critical. We need to understand that we are all human beings, carrying out this sacred mission, and we all stick our foot in our mouth sometimes. Grace is needed across the board, which is ironically a huge piece of our mission.

Strive for unity. Hear each other, striving for understanding, but not always agreement. (FYI- it's ok not to agree. Makes life less boring that way.) Talk to each other, because when we stop, that's when miscommunication happens, and things blow up more. See each other as humans just like you. Don't expect perfection from everyone, remembering we all need grace. Be in the midst of your calling so hard that nothing can separate you from it, but God Himself. Jesus prayed unity over His people more than anything else. Let's work on that today, world.

Scripture to Read:
Romans 5:7-8, John 13:34-35, John 17:20-26

Questions to ponder:

What unifies us all as Christians? Why do we forget this?

Why is unity so important? Why does it matter to Jesus?

Is there a fellow sibling in Christ you are having trouble getting along with? What can you do? (yes, you)

What do you think would happen if Christians actually united for the common mission?