Worth the Fight
This past session, our Connect Group read Until Unity by Francis Chan. It was a challenging book to read, and I was so thankful to read it alongside friends, so we could discuss how it applies to our lives.
It's worth the fight. That was my main takeaway. Unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ is going to be a fight, but it is worth fighting for.
In our last discussion about the book, as I sat next to Chase, I realized that I have known the value for awhile in fighting for unity in our marriage. We have been married for almost ten years, and we both learned early on that we are much stronger when we are unified. Whether we are unified in our parenting, how we spend money, or the direction we are going as a family- we are better when we are on the same page.
And when we are at odds with one another, it is painfully obvious. We are walking on eggshells, carrying unexpressed resentment, or stewing in frustration. We are for sure not believing the best in one another.
In fact, we have prioritized unity in our marriage enough to participate in Re:Engage (then led a Re:Engage group), read other parenting and marriage books to discuss, and regularly sit down to discuss expectations. (But don't be fooled, we don't have it all figured out.)
If we value unity in our marriage enough to do the work, have harder conversations and pursue one another, why can't we do that within the Body of Christ? If we believe that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, His Bride (Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her"), how much more should I be pursuing unity within the ACTUAL bride of Christ, The Church?
Romans 12:18 - "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
And peace and unity within the Church IS possible. And it requires work. It requires hard conversations. It requires love and grace and peace. It requires a fight. But it is worth it.
It's worth the fight. That was my main takeaway. Unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ is going to be a fight, but it is worth fighting for.
In our last discussion about the book, as I sat next to Chase, I realized that I have known the value for awhile in fighting for unity in our marriage. We have been married for almost ten years, and we both learned early on that we are much stronger when we are unified. Whether we are unified in our parenting, how we spend money, or the direction we are going as a family- we are better when we are on the same page.
And when we are at odds with one another, it is painfully obvious. We are walking on eggshells, carrying unexpressed resentment, or stewing in frustration. We are for sure not believing the best in one another.
In fact, we have prioritized unity in our marriage enough to participate in Re:Engage (then led a Re:Engage group), read other parenting and marriage books to discuss, and regularly sit down to discuss expectations. (But don't be fooled, we don't have it all figured out.)
If we value unity in our marriage enough to do the work, have harder conversations and pursue one another, why can't we do that within the Body of Christ? If we believe that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, His Bride (Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her"), how much more should I be pursuing unity within the ACTUAL bride of Christ, The Church?
Romans 12:18 - "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
And peace and unity within the Church IS possible. And it requires work. It requires hard conversations. It requires love and grace and peace. It requires a fight. But it is worth it.
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