Unity is Often Uncomfortable

 Discomfort doesn’t necessarily mean what is being said is causing disunity.

I believe firmly in the concept that a true mark of Messy Middle Living is finding common ground across the divide of our differences. This common ground will create a unity built on diversity & trusting the good intentions of other people because we value them as our siblings. This isn’t a blind unity where we are always comfortable. It isn’t unity at the expense of principles either.

In my experience, true unity is focused on acknowledging the humanity of the other side rather than making “them” the villain. It requires a willingness to be pushed outside our personal comfort zones, challenged to leave our echo chambers, and an intentional choice to listen to the story of the other person to understand how their lived experiences have led them to believe as they do. It doesn’t mean we stay quiet about injustice or mistreatment but that we name those actions in order to stand more fully with the marginalized, oppressed, and persecuted. 

As a Christian Pastor I have seen “we have to protect unity” become dangerously synonymous with “don’t offend anyone” or be sure to not be controversial. The Gospel is often seen as offensive & controversial. Jesus is often seen as offensive & controversial. These truths mean sometimes unity requires sounding controversial or risking offending people to challenge presuppositions to facilitate change and/or protection. Certainly, always done from a posture of love but not always softly.

What was Jesus praying for His disciples, and us, in John 17? His prayer was a call to be unified in Him just as He is unified with the father. He was praying that we would live in unity with the mission of the father to set the captives free while standing with the least of these among us, aka the marginalized. He is not calling us into a superficial unity where we all agree on topics like politics, sports teams, foods, etc. But rather a unity rooted in following His call to love God and love people. A unity to stand up for our neighbor over the acquisition of power for ourselves. It is a unity centered on submission & laying aside our advantages for the betterment of others.

In these divisive times we find ourselves in, I pray that those of us in the church will look to be unifiers who challenge each other to see the image of God in every person we meet. I hope that we will be willing to search our souls deeply if we find it hard to love our LGBTQ siblings, feel offended when racial systemic injustice is challenged, or vilify the other side because they are monsters. 

Choose a unity anchored in the rich diversity, protection, & intrinsic value of our neighbors because every person you encounter was made in the image of God. A God who has called us to unity in our diversity as siblings.