Unity

Belize really is becoming a great place to have quiet times. Today I read in Ephesians, about the ways in which Christians should live together in the body of Christ.

It is so amazing, and slightly embarrassing, to think about the ways that Christians can divide themselves -- I should say ourselves -- over insignificant issues. I'm not saying distinctions between Catholic and Protestant, or even Baptist and Methodist, aren't important.

Nor do I think that political differences, or differences in psychological perspectives when it comes to the issue of homosexuality and the church, are insignificant. I wouldn't blog about them if I didn't think they were important to a certain extent, and that some people are hurt by certain practices or opinions.

However, reading through Ephesians has reminded me how insignificant those things will be in the next life. God won't ask if we were Democrat or Republican, gay or straight or ex-gay, Methodist or Adventist or Presbyterian or Catholic. He will ask -- to those of us who were called to one hope in him -- if we were "completely humble and gentle," or if we were "patient, bearing with one another in love."

So, despite the arguments we have as Christians -- whether it's about the age of the earth, the origins of homosexuality, the role of faith in politics, Biblical definitions of masculinity and femininity, or predestination vs. free will -- we must remember to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Unity of the Spirit doesn't mean that we lose our unique perspectives and opinions. We don't become carbon copies of each other. Each one of us has been given grace as Christ appointed it, and while on earth we are supposed to have different talents and views, and different ways of thinking and talking, in order for the body of Christ to be built up. So this is a reminder to myself to remember these things, every time I have a conflict with a brother or sister in Christ.