Different Directions to One Goal

It is Saturday morning and an entire family is peacefully getting ready to go out. The children are cooperating and everyone is on time for once. No one needs to be dragged out of bed or is grumbling about not being able to sleep in. The older children are even helping the ones. Is the perfect picture of family unity.

The family walks into the garage and promptly heads into two separate vehicles. Mom gets in the driver’s seat of one vehicle while dad opens the door of the other. The children also have split and are also entering different vehicles. This united family has been assisting each other to get ready to go in separate directions.

Still consider this family united? Absolutely! Unity is not the same as unison. Working together does not always involve all members doing the same thing at the same time. It is about mutual support.

When we, the body of Christ, work together for the common goal of serving God, we will not always be doing the same things that are brothers and sisters are doing. In our daily lives will not encounter the same people or have the same opportunities arise.  At God’s design we are each different.

The world around us is full of the different types of people. Not everyone has the same preferences, mannerisms, sense of humor or communication styles. Each individual that God has created is unique. Therefore, each of His children is uniquely gifted to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Someone who could easily relate to and receive from my husband, David, might not be able to receive God’s love and concern from me in the same way. Conversely there are those who would identify with and receive more readily from me then David.  This is true for all of us.

Each one has a unique calling. All of us are to share God’s love with the world around us. But this will look different for each. We may be going in different directions to fulfill our calling, but we are heading toward the same goal. That goal is to love and serve God and others. 

Perfect unity involves the harmony of allowing everyone to play their own unique part. In a choir separate notes are sung simultaneously, building a beautiful chord. The end result is a much fuller and more beautiful sound than any single note. We are part of the beautiful song of God. This principle is shown in Scripture. In most translations the final word in Psalm 133:1 is unity. “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1 AMP)  Hearing this read aloud, I was initially confused when my translation used the word harmony. “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1 NLT) After a bit of contemplation and prayer I realized that unity must include harmony. Unison is all singing a single note and unity is blending together.  Webster’s dictionary gives this definition; ‘ uni·ty (noun)  1: the state of being in full agreement 2: a way of combining the parts in a work of art or literature so that they seem to belong together.’  Without multiple parts, unity cannot occur.

Unity in the family of God allows each member to pursue the path that God has placed them on. No one path is more or less important than any other. A united family supports each other in their endeavors and seeks to understand and accept the different callings and direction from God. This is true love. But “Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another.” (Romans 12:10 AMP)  Love does not expect all to act exactly as we do.

It is Sunday morning and our same family is again getting ready to leave the house. Today they get in one car and head in one direction to worship God together. Fulfilling the call of God will cause us to sometimes follow a single path while at other times following our own individual paths. Loving each other at all times will propel us to the goal of fulfilling God’s will.

Today as you walk the path God has called you to, pray for and encourage your brothers and sisters in the paths they have been called to walk. In this unity we will all move closer to our heavenly goal.