Mark 3:24-25 — If a kingdom is divided against it self, it cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.

So many thoughts on this topic that I’ll try to narrow down so I don’t zoom you all over the place…

When I read these two verses for this devotional, I thought once again of the division happening on the broad scale of our communities, at the local, national, and global levels. Every time I read something like this I double down on my stance, on what I wish we would all be doing to lessen the volatile nature of our political and social interactions, especially within the church.

What confuses and frustrates me the most is thinking about what to do when this happens:
Person A has been a life-long follower of Jesus. She has great discernment, strong friendships, knows scripture, has raised her kids well, and loves God.
Person B has been a life-long follower of Jesus. She has great discernment, strong friendships, knows scripture, is raising her kids well, and loves God.
And both of them are taking the exact opposite stance on an important issue. Both women love God, seek His instruction and His light and His wisdom, and both come away from their daily quiet times with completely opposing answers to important questions.

What do we do? Who do we believe? We’ve believed and trusted both Person A and B for a long time. What now?

That’s when I think of the scripture. It’s in the middle of Jesus’ family—his brothers and his parents—not understanding the nature of his ministry. They don’t disagree with the Pharisees and the scribes accusing him of evil when he does the miracle of driving out demons. Jesus tells them: if I were evil, how could I cast out evil spirits? Evil begets evil, evil doesn’t drive out evil.

(Remember the MLK Jr. quote: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that).

There is close-fisted theology and there is open-handed theology. There are things in the Bible that we know to be as literal as the words on the page, for example, God created the heavens and the earth. Yes, yes He did. There are other things in the Bible that are not up for malleable interpretation (we can’t change their fundamental truth), but they are topics that we cannot know the full meaning and logistics of until we are up in Heaven. For example, was it six literal days that God took to make the earth? Experts land on both sides of that debate.

There are policies and systems and issues that are not to be taken lightly, things that are not to be dismissed. Also, you will always hear me talk about how we could do so much better in working together. You’ll always hear me say: if it’s not in scripture, my answer leans closer to “I don’t know” than anything else, because I. Don’t. Always. Know. And neither do you. Neither do your friends. Neither do the prophets you listen to. Our feelings get so intermingled with our faith, that even when we’re constantly checking ourselves against scripture, we are not God. We can’t know it all 100%.

In one of the two Inauguration week episodes of That Sounds Fun, Michael Wear mentions that there are “530-something members of Congress. There will always be one [or more] that says something you disagree with and that offends you.” And he reminds us that if we are fueled by that offense, we’ll never be able to live with each other.

We have a lot of fish to fry. I get that.
… …
Thank goodness we have so many cooks. 

Let us listen to our friends who have a burden for social and racial justice, for anti-racism and what that means.
Let’s listen to our friends who have a burden for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Let’s listen to our friends who have a strong burden for those who have endured increased domestic violence since the pandemic started. 
Let’s listen to our friends who speak of the burden on educators, all the time, not just during a pandemic. 
Let’s listen to our friends who are small business owners, so we know how to support them.
Let’s listen to those who care for the elderly and who care for foster children, so we know how to lift them up.
Let’s listen to those who care about healthcare and gun ownership, because there are things that we can’t know or do on our own, simply because we can’t possibly know and do e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and those with expertise and a different perspective can help us understand. 

In our division, let’s listen. We don’t have to agree, but let us listen in a way that humanizes each other. In our homes, and beyond, let’s listen to each other in a way that ensures we are advancing the kingdom of God as we are so commanded to do.

This week, may you find ways to unify among your people, whether in person or digitally. 
May your home be filled with comfort, peace, and joy as you do the work of curating a united home. 
May you lean on God to feel unity and compassion in your heart toward those who think differently than you, whether in your home or beyond. 
May you find ways to walk beside others carrying their own burdens, and may you lay yours at the foot of the cross for the bearer of all burdens to care for your heart.

The week of Joe Biden’s Inauguration to the office of the President of the United States, I talked about Unity & Productive Division on my podcast, Praise Through It. Some of this blog post comes from that episode. Listen in for more encouragement on this topic.

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