Unity

. . . until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity . . . 
 - From Ephesians 4

Today's reading is chock full of hard wisdom for people in 2020. 

Paul, the writer, asserts that the mature Christian is one that enjoys unity with other Christians. But you have to want to be unified. I've found that people do not want unity. They take it as a badge of honor, or of courage or integrity, to insert great wedges between them and others. If they can knock off a large swath of fellow believers with their righteous indignation, all the better. Because, in that way, perhaps they can find favor not only with God, but also with the world.

You have to want unity. 

That is an important point to ponder. When I suggest to others, that we must have loyalty to one another, and build up the Body of Christ . . . become One with each other . . . I marvel at the resistance to the idea. Most of the time, they act as if I have said nothing at all. 

It is such an inaccessible idea. Yet we know it to be true. There are ample studies validating the powerful concept: unity creates effectiveness that is greater than the sum of its parts. Unity makes magic happen. 

Yet we still crave our walls between ourselves. 

We have heard it said, that great people "Speak truth to power," whatever that means. 

But Paul says that we must "speak the truth in love."

Your affirmation of Truth must be conducted in a loving way. It must bring people together. It must lift them up. It must not drive wedges between you and others (with whom you should be aligned). 

Now . . . this is not a milquetoast attitude. It's not spineless. It does not back down from bullies. It still stands up to the crowd. 

The funny thing is . . . when you emphasize love and unity, you'll get people mad at you, all right. You'll get more people angry with you, than the most prolific bully can muster. And you'll find fewer people willing to take your side. 

The end result of Truth, and Love . . . the evidence of spiritual maturity is this:

Unity. 

So let's have a little, in the spring of 2020 . . . and forever.