At age twenty, I moved from home to attend college, a two-hour drive away. I needed the distance to assert independence from my parents.
Consequently, I knew no one at the University or in the surrounding town. Having a circle of friends has always been a priority for me, so I quickly got to work at meeting people in my new community.
After the first week, I realized that I shared a swimming class with a friendly woman I had not met before. We happened to choose lockers in the same row, and would exchange small talk as we dressed down and walked to the pool. I learned her name was Shelly. As the weeks progressed our conversations grew longer. She was easy to be around and we chatted about a variety of topics.
By the end of the semester, we discovered we shared similar opinions and values. In one conversation, I mentioned a story I heard in a sermon. Further discussion revealed we both attended well-established churches in the community. I was glad to know that we had Christianity in common.
With happy enthusiasm, I asked her “So you’re a believer, too? We share faith in Christ?” My unspoken thought was, ‘What a happy coincidence!’
Shelly smiled warmly as she replied, “Yes! Couldn’t you tell?”
Immediately I knew what she meant. My brief silence in that moment of realization resonated loudly in my spirit. My faith in Christ was only a few years old, and there was so much I did not know. But I recognized that an important truth had just been added to my faith’s foundation.
My agreement with Shelly in the Lordship and sovereignty of Christ caused a supernatural connection. With Christ in our hearts, all believers are part of the intimate family of God. This was my first experience with the instant unity of spirit that followers of Christ can share. I have experienced it many times since.
A friend recently asked me what I’ve done with the knowledge I gained since that time. The mystery of the undeniably strong bond between the family of Christ drove me to search my Bible for more detail on this subject.
Ephesians 4:2-4 NLT
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.”
For me, this verse provides a short list of the qualities needed for an individual to participate in unity. The combination of personal experience and scripture strongly motivates me to initiate contact with people I cross paths with – to more confidently seek out further connection with the family of God. Friendly conversation is my preferred way to make sure other people do not languish and suffer as outsiders. There are no outsiders in God’s Kingdom, all believers are part of God’s family! And the principle of unity encourages me to more swiftly overcome any differences between myself and any other believers.
Matthew 18:19-20 NLT
“If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
The unity of agreement in prayer continues to be a welcome sanctuary and safe haven for me from anxieties that would hold me captive. I am quicker to call a friend to pray with me, instead of suffering in silence and isolation. God has always been faithful to bring me the peace and comfort I have asked Him for.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT
“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
The juxtaposition of the two analogies in this verse grabs my attention. The image of two soldiers fighting back to back against a surrounding army reminds me to not be disheartened by what I see when facing daunting life-challenges. The soldiers’ shared purpose of surviving existential threat, exponentially increases their joint efforts. This scripture drives me to never stop fighting the darkness of discouragement that would seek to hold me captive.
And the image of the triple-braided cord gives me such peace of mind. A separate length of cord or rope is a helpful tool, but when woven with two others, their combined strength is tripled. This verse reminds me to accept help when offered.
Several years ago, I accepted a challenging new job as a Resolutions Specialist at a large, corporate call center. The job involved working with irate customers to resolve their Customer Service issues. After an intensive 3-week training, we shifted to the next phase - our first live calls. Our employer provided experienced representatives from its call centers in other states to serve as floor-walking advisers. We simply put the caller on hold, raised our hands and waited for the adviser to walk over with much-appreciated guidance. I vividly remember the sage advice our Supervisor gave us before the calls were routed to our phone queue. We were assured that our advisors would try very hard to be available for as many questions as possible. But in the event they were all busy, our Supervisor directed us to look at the co-worker on our left and right sides. She stated, “the best and most immediate resource we can give you is sitting on either side of you. Be sure to reach out and benefit from their help!” This advice has served me well for many years!
About the Author
Sara has attended CitySalt Church since 2004, the year it was founded. She studied Journalism, wrote for her college newspaper, and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. Sara also enjoys singing hymns with friends: “there is a sermon in every hymn waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.”
