UNITY IS A BEAUTIFUL THING

She said, "I want to tell you a story." She told me about a family she knew who unexpectedly acquired another member--a young man, suddenly displaced needed a home. This family welcomed him in but there were emergency needs: clothes, money, and more. When my friend heard this, she told her, "Let me see how can I help." She started texting and calling friends, her circle, many from previous small groups at Crosspoint. Within a few hours, there were clothes and gift cards. The family was bowled over with kindness! "The best part?"my friend said, "We didn't even have to call the church office for benevolence. God's people just stepped up and did it! I love my church!"

Watching the Olympics 2012, I'm reminded: unity is a beautiful thing. It's powerful. And it must be protected. Paul says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit..." (Eph.4.3 NIV). In other words, if you don't tend to it, it won't be there when you need it. And we all know how ugly things get when unity is lost:

• the goal isn't acheived
• the friendship that's lost
• a church divided
• a home divided

No, we can't live in unity with everyone. It's not possible nor is it healthy. I can't be in unity with someone who's out to destroy what God loves: the authority of Scripture, the church, my marriage or my family. But that doesn't mean I have to be unkind to them.

Still, what is the greatest threat to our unity? Most of the time it's not the big stuff. Nor is it our differences. Differences can make for great unity when we appreciate them. No, the greatest threat to our unity is selfishness.

It takes effort to protect unity, to guard it and keep it. The biggest part of the effort comes back to me: How is my selfishness feeding the potential divisiveness? Unity is a treasure worth keeping. It's a beautiful thing.