The Cost of Unity

 

Unity is such a wonderful concept, isn’t it? It sounds admirable and certainly is something we should all not only long for but work toward. The problem is this. Unity is costly. Jesus told those gathered to count the cost.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Luke 14:28-30

Most of us, I am guessing, did not think about the cost of discipleship when we chose to follow Jesus. But it probably also did not take long for all of us to find out that being a disciple has personal and maybe even professional costs associated with it.

The same is true with unity. Our reading this Sunday speaks of attributes that lead to unity and those that lead to disunity. In the unity category, we have “humility, gentleness, and patience,” and on the disunity side, we have “deceitful scheming and the trick people play to deliberately mislead others” (Ephesians 4).

It is easy to see how these characteristics work, but still, the question in my mind is what is the cost of unity? It costs us to be patient when everything inside of us is screaming “Hurry up!” It costs us to be gentle when we are not feeling gentle. It costs us to be humble when we know we “are all of that and a bag of chips.” Yet, Christ asks us to take up our cross. Paul advises us to “grow in every way into Christ.”

Why? I believe it is because the cost may be great, and we should be soberly aware of it and agree to bear it. But greater than the cost is the benefit. When we choose to live in ways that honor God and use the measure of grace given to us, we grow those wonderful branches that are attached to the tree that is God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). When we are attached to that tree, we cannot help but prosper in spirit and in truth. We cannot help but grow in health. And our health cannot do anything but strengthen the entire tree.

Friends, I invite you this weekend to explore your connection to the true Tree of Life that shelters us from harmful rays, provides stability in wild winds, and nourishes us with strong roots. Explore your unity with our Lord and Savior and how, while costly, it cannot be compared with the immeasurable blessings we receive in return.

The Rhythms of Life

 

I have been thinking about the concept of balance lately. This buzzword has always baffled me because I don’t think I've ever mastered the work-life balance everyone says I am supposed to have. My failure at this has always made me feel like something is wrong with me. This changed when I read a chapter from a book assigned for one of my classes, titled “Why I Hate the Word Balance.” In this chapter was the language I have been looking for to explain why balance, for me, just did not work. The author, Lance Witt, offered a different word for what we can achieve to be whole and healthy: rhythm. That word, of course, spoke loads into my musician’s heart. That’s it. Rhythm describes the passage of seasons, minutes into hours, and hours into days. Rhythm describes the ebbs and flows that are natural to life. Unlike balance, I don’t have to feel “off” if I am in a period of flow or if I am in a period of ebb. That is natural and normal. The first scripture that comes to mind is the one set to music by the Byrds "Turn!" Turn! Turn! The scripture is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Both the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament have a lot to say about seasons and the rhythm of life.

The gist of this devotion is this. Friends, life has a rhythm. Don’t frustrate yourself by trying to shove it onto a balance scale. Recognize that being a whole, healthy person does not mean that your choices will make everything smooth all of the time. Despite your best efforts and correct choices, there will still be times when you are thrown off. This is ok. This is normal. Heal yourself through those times, recognizing that it is just a part of the rhythm. Be kind to yourself and soothe yourself knowing that in every season and in every rhythm God is in the band. Sometimes he’s playing the snare. Sometimes God’s playing the bass drum. But in all ways God is present, providing beat patterns that can soothe us towards rest or excite us towards action. Go with the flow, looking for the voice of God to do what is necessary. Have a good weekend, everyone.