Really?!?ናሙና

A Small United Step

So, here we are. In the final months of 2016. Sometimes I’m taken aback by the passage of time. Is it really the year 2016?? Growing up in the 80s, I was sure the year 2000 would come and bring with it flying cars, reflective space suits and that curious, freeze-dried food of the future. Well, here we are in 2016, and I’m driving two kids around in a Honda, and the closest thing I’ve tasted to astronaut food is Dippin’ Dots.

I suppose I was reading too many comic books.

As I’ve grown, I’ve spent less time pondering the exciting future of a world ruled by mutants (in which I have super cool powers, of course!) and more time concerned about the future of my children. What kind of world will I leave to them? I have two girls, four and six, and I’m keenly aware of how the events of today will impact their lives years from now. My attitudes and the choices I make as an adult will be paid forward to their future. I’ll either make it easier for my kids to find peace with others…or I won’t.

I have a feeling this is what Jesus means in John 17 when He says, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus is praying for the future. He is praying that His followers would spread His message of hope across the globe and that His message would bring all people together. He’s aware that the road to unity won’t be easy: that there will come a time when the beautifully simple message of “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself” will become complicated for each of us.

The truth is, when we allow the differences we see in one another to define the love we give, we jeopardize our future. But when we strive for love and unity, the benefits don’t just pay off in the future - they start now!

What’s one thing you can do today to take a small loving step toward bringing people together? You never know how far the impact will carry.