Unity
Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of October 28

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them in all together in perfect unity.” ~ Colossians 3:13-14 (NIV)

In Colossians 3:1-17 the Apostle Paul offers up these Rules for Holy Living.  As we read them, may we be reminded that, as Christians, we are chosen and assigned by God to our places and positions of work.  These scriptures offer a roadmap to getting along with our cohort’s, who are also divinely-assigned, and to thriving in our careers God’s way . . .

Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things . . .

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry . . . you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other . . . put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator . . . Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Unity is important to God.  In order to achieve it in a work environment, we must work out issues that arise with others through forgiveness, truth and love.  Simultaneously, we must overcome our own fears, insecurities and baggage and lean into God to remove the obstacles that are out of our control.  Our attitudes and commitment to God’s ways, along with the levels of dysfunction within us, others and the organization, can determine how hard and how long our journey will be. 

I once had a friend who said, “When it’s God, it’s as easy as breathing.”  I’ve found that in its purest form, this philosophy is true.  However, when God assigns us to usher new order and breakthrough into a struggling environment, our roles are usually challenging and require a great deal of work.  Oftentimes, this feels like anything but God’s doing.

But if we commit ourselves to remaining in our divinely-assigned role, moving forward in God’s purposes, we will witness Him break obstacles and either make a way to unity (which is God’s finest), which can sometimes mean reassigning people who, by their free will choice, are not willing to cooperate. 

Therefore, unity is often a process.  And in this process, God is refining us, our co-workers, our leaders and our organizations.  He’s trying to purify us, teach us and position us for promotion.  But are we willing to listen and learn?

I love the NIV note for verse 15, which tells us that the peace that only Christ can give us is to prevail like an umpire in all human relationships over an attitude of bitterness and quarrelsomeness.

Where there is disunity, there is disconnection, fragmentation, a loss of synergy, of power.  It is a place where the enemy thrives to negate the plans of God.

Conversely, I believe the path to unity is through repentance, forgiveness, cooperation and a commitment to journey God’s way through the circumstances that surround us by His leading, no matter what.

If you find yourself in a chaotic work environment, marred by quarrels, resentment, power struggles and hurt feelings, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your role in the game.  Then confess and seek His forgiveness and the forgiveness of others.  Forgive yourself and the others who have hurt you.  Bless them and speak unity and wholeness over them.  Ask God to reveal His truth to them and convict them in the areas where they have been at fault.  Ask God to disentangle ungodly strongholds.  Then submit to His divine exit strategy—in whatever form it manifests—and enter into the place of peace where God leads you.

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