Psalm 133:1

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity."

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

In a marriage counseling session, one spouse looked at the other and declared:  "When we were married we were supposed to become as one.  And I'm the one."

Quite often in life, we miss the true meaning of unity because we insist upon our own brand of uniformity.  Unity is not conformity to any imposed thought or perspective.  Sameness does not require unity; diversity does.

E pluribus unum is the motto of our nation that appears on our coins and currency.  It's a Latin term that means "out of many, one."  It was first proposed by the U.S. Continental Congress in 1782 as a clarion call to unify the divergent interests of the thirteen original American colonies under one federal government.  The inspiration for the use of the term was The Gentleman's Magazine, which was an important British periodical of the 18th century.  Every year, the magazine published a special issue composed of the best of that year's articles, and the phrase "E pluribus unum" appeared on the title page as a way of explaining that this special edition of the magazine was created from many previous issues.

What a refreshing way to approach the challenges of unity in our personal and public lives.  If we understand that unity is not about collapsing everyone into sameness, but instead, allowing our differences to breathe and mature until they can all be collected into a collage of the very best, we could change unity from a distant pipe dream into a present reality.  Behold, how good and how pleasant that would be. 

Prayer

Lord, please allow the differences in my life to inspire my growth and help me to become the best that I can be.  Then take me at my best and unite me with the best in others.  Amen.

About the Author Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.