Patience, Humility, Kindness

We have so much division in our nation (as Americans), especially in light of the most recent appointment of a new supreme court justice, ongoing race relation breakdowns and our upcoming midterm elections in November.  Our news feeds, online advertising and even our streaming music have become heavily curated by some algorithm of predictability.  On the one hand, this is natural; we like to be around people who are like us. But on the other hand, we can hold too tightly to these dividing lines and rarely cross them.

Staying within these boundaries keeps us from learning from one another. It keeps us from discovering the many ways Jesus reveals himself. And it keeps us from growing in the kind of all-encompassing love that draws people to the Lord.  Faith in Jesus Christ calls us to something deeper.  We are called to seek that which unifies us, both in spite of and through our differences.

St. Paul points to the need for humility, patience, and gentleness, and he wraps all these virtues up in a call for us to strive for peace. And to fuel our determination, he reminds us of all we have in common as believers: “one body . . . one Spirit . . . one hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father” (Ephesians 4:4-6). If we can keep our eyes on all these gifts, I believe unity is possible.