Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: — 1 Peter 3:8

Unity and peace are not by chance! They happen because people want them to and let them. But they are more than just ways of being. God tells us to do them. How do we work together and get along? Peter reminds us of three things we must do as “church” people: 1) actively share the sorrows and worries of those who are hurting; 2) love each other the way a healthy family loves and values each member; and 3) deal with the mistakes of others that hurt us with compassion instead of arrogance, knowing that we can sin and hurt those we love, too.

 

Thought

Unity and peace are not by chance! They happen because people want them to and let them. But they are more than just ways of being. God tells us to do them. How do we work together and get along? Peter reminds us of three things we must do as “church” people: 1) actively share the sorrows and worries of those who are hurting; 2) love each other the way a healthy family loves and values each member; and 3) deal with the mistakes of others that hurt us with compassion instead of arrogance, knowing that we can sin and hurt those we love, too.

 

Prayer

Father, I admit that I have allowed my own overly sensitive self to be hurt and have reacted petty when my fellow Christians have not treated me as I felt they should have. Since I am aware of how those whom he created treated Jesus, I shouldn’t be shocked when things don’t always work out for me. However, Father, if you could teach me when to confront those who hurt me in a loving way and when to ignore them and find a way to help them because of a deeper wound that has rendered them helpless in life. Father, make me a channel for your unity, grace, peace, and harmony. In Jesus’s precious name I pray. Amen.