I’ve heard much talk the last couple weeks about the need for unity. They are right. No establishment does well when it is divided from inside. Jesus rightly stated, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divid- ed against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25). Whether we are talking about America or your family unit, strife from within tears people apart like nothing else. So, how can we have unity?
1. Be team- mates. Whenever we see others with the same aspirations and goals, willingly work with them. This is es- pecially vital to the success of our families. Hus- bands and wives must work together–that means never undermining the other for selfish reasons. Teammates all wear the same jersey and have a singular mission. (Further study: find and read the 11 passages that Paul us- es the term “fellow worker”.)
2. Don’t fault-find. We’re all imperfect. Thus, if you look very hard at all, you can find plenty of flaws. By giving focus to insufficiencies, failures, or past indiscretions, we cannot move forward together. (Of course, this is not encouragement to abandon accountability or discard the necessity of morality; it is simply a realization that looking for bad only highlights bad and little good comes from that.)
3. Discuss openly. Often disagreements can come from a lack of commu- nication–either a lack of speaking/explaining or a lack of hearing/understanding. When there’s a problem in a marriage, partners need to talk about it. Problems aren’t solved in silence. If there are differences, much good can come from respect- ful, honest dialogue. Read Proverbs 1:5, 18:12–13;