by Danna Shirley ~ 1990 (All scripture references are the NKJV)
What does it mean to be in ONENESS, to be in unity and harmony with yourself and with others? God promises peace to His children, peace verses strife and discord. I often wondered why God’s peace eluded me most of the time, especially when His Word promised it everywhere I looked.
Then your PEACE would have been like a river . . . (Isaiah 48:18b)
And the PEACE of God . . . will guard your hearts and minds . . . (Philippians 4:7-9)
And let the PEACE of God rule in your hearts . . . (Colossians 3:15-17)
Of course, I was only focusing on the part of Scripture that I wanted to claim. If you will examine each of the above Scriptures in their entirety, you will find that there is also a condition clause to enter into this PEACE. It is so with every promise in God’s Word if you will search it out. Take any subject, study all the Scripture references on that topic and you will find that you cannot claim God’s promises without fulfilling His condition to that promise.
So, where was this PEACE, this ONENESS, this unity and harmony that I wanted to have within myself, with my family, with my friends and neighbors, with my brethren? There was a Scripture that would always come to my mind whenever anything was going well . . .
[Christ] —from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:16)
Walk in Unity ~ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is ONE body and ONE Spirit, just as you were called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism; ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
As a child of God, I committed to walk worthy of this calling. It has taken me years of growth, peaks and valleys, to realize exactly what this meant. Sometimes I grew fast, sometimes not at all, and other times I lost ground; I might feel like a failure, completely unworthy of this calling, and other times I was perfectly at peace in His will.
I
began to wonder, “Is there ever a time when a I can get it right and keep it
right, all the time?” Being in ONENESS . . . being in unity and
harmony within myself, with my fellow man, with the Lord? How does it happen?
The Word has already told us . . .
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (vs 2-3)
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
I can be humble!
I can be gentle with others . . . if
they’ll just do right!
I can be patient with others . . . if
they’ll just do right!
I can love my fellow man . . . if they’ll just do right!
I can be in unity with everyone . . .
if they’ll JUST DO RIGHT!!!
So, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity depend on how others act first? NO!
If
I am out of harmony with myself and with the Lord, then I am out of harmony
with others.
So, do I need to work on myself first? YES! HOW?
There is ONE body and ONE Spirit, just as you were called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism; ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (vs 4-6)
So, why was I not able to achieve this harmony? I wanted to. I tried very hard. That was the problem. I was trying very hard to do it within myself, by myself, without submitting to the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit . . . over me, through me, or in me!
As failure after failure, with family, friends, and brethren increased, I realized I could not achieve this harmony under my own steam, or at least not do a very good job of it. I began to turn more areas of my life over to God, one at a time, until I really began to feel that peace, that ONENESS, that harmony which enabled me to live a life worthy of His calling.
In other words—I became fitly joined together with Jesus and He opened my eyes to the harmony I desired, the gentleness I desired, the patience I desired, the love I desired. I finally gave up my control and allowed Him to work over me, through me, and in me.
As I became fitly joined together with Jesus, it became easier to be fitly joined together with others in every situation I encountered . . . at school, baseball league, Bible study, prayer group, inside the church with believers, outside the church with unbelievers. If I let Jesus work over me, through me, and in me with anyone in any situation, then we all became closer to being fitly joined together in love to accomplish our purpose.
Walking
with Jesus can be the longest, straightest, narrowest path we’ll ever walk but
the most satisfying, fulfilling, and rewarding experience we’ll ever encounter!
However, it must be a solid walk, never wavering, crossing every hurdle thrown
on your path, overcoming unforgiveness, anger, judgment, doubt and unbelief,
worry and fear, gossip, valley experiences, etc.
HOW? By being fitly joined together with Jesus, facing every day with Him, resting in His timing, allowing Him to mold and shape us, giving Him thanks for every situation . . .
Now,
won’t you be fitly joined together with Jesus?
(Note: When I wrote this in 1990, I was struggling to find that peace. As I have reread it now, I realize I did find that peace and I’ve lived in it for many, many years; even when I lost my husband to pneumonia in 2003. The decision to surrender into God’s hands brought that peace I had been seeking. Oh, I still have those peaks and valleys to navigate, as we all do, but looking back on my life now, I see God’s hand buoying me up above the storm every time.)
Danna
Shirley ~ 2024 (34 years later)
