We are unique.
We hold a portfolio of preferences that are peculiar to just us. Others overlap to varying degrees, but no one I have met yet has perfectly mirrored. Thus we are left with a degree of separation. And a decision on how much that matters.
Surprisingly, it is often those closest and most like us that we find the most fault with. Their one degree of separation can seem a chasm and even a target to us; their shortcomings highlighting our own inadequacies.
Yet we all know we must find a way to get along to make life work. Society charges us with tolerance, but Paul takes it a step further:
“I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.”
Paul asks us to not only get along, but ‘cultivate a life in common.’ Which means so much more than simple toleration. It means knowing, accepting, and caring about those around us AND folding them into our lives. He is not asking for something on the periphery, but something intimate.
In the era of personal rights, it is easy to lose our consideration of others. For to forcefully insist on our own rights can lead us to marginalize the rights of others. Instead we must keep our ultimate charge at the forefront: love God, and love others. May we embody this challenge and make this a truly joyful season for our whole community.