“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-23 (NIV)
People are uniquely different – no two are exactly alike. We all have our own set of peccadillos, Amen? This is particularly easy to see in families. The husband and wife are different and each child is different yet they are a unit, a family – learning to love each other through their differences. Each member having something to offer to make the unit more complete. We know ourselves that we are not capable of doing everything but we are all capable of doing something. God never intended for us to all be the same. Just look at The amazing variety of nature and that is easy to discover. Yet, He uses are differences to make a complete whole. Every member important – even the baby toe. This is not accomplished through our human nature rather through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit as we appreciate the giftings of others and how they add to the body.
I read about mayonnaise being a great example of this. Most people know that oil and vinegar do not mix – no matter how hard we may shake it, when we put the container down on the counter it separates – every time. Yet the two main ingredients of mayonnaise are oil and vinegar meaning it must have an ingredient that keeps those two together. It has to have an emulsifier to blend them – a substance that fuses them. Christians are not too dissimilar. With all our differing idiosyncrasies it is Jesus that fuses all of us together making us one – just as He and the Father and the Holy Spirit are One. He brings all our giftings under One Head and each heart is to do their part. We are not all eyes and we are not all arms or whatever but each part is important and necessary. This makes us unique unified individuals not clones of each other rather distinctly purposeful. We are not each other’s enemies. Indeed, we need one another as the body needs every part.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3 (NIV)