Agreement is Worth Striving For

Today’s reading: Philippians 2:1-11

The phrase “let’s agree to disagree” has always bothered me, and today’s reading helps me understand why.

Paul encourages us to “fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

I read that as a call from Jesus to always strive for agreement.

It is unrealistic to expect that universal agreement is possible, of course. But Christ wants us to always strive for it, nevertheless — in the same way He calls us to strive for perfection in ourselves.

I believe it’s our duty to Christ (and to society) to never give up on agreement. When we agree to disagree, we are deciding not to strive.

I was once very active in politics, but today I rarely even vote. I have been criticized for my lack of participation in our country’s democratic processes, but I know that I am more active than ever.

Rather than spending my days commiserating with my friends about how hopelessly ignorant — or evil! — people are who inhabit the other end of the political spectrum, I now assume the best of all people — and ideas. And I’ve discovered that Republicans and I hold much in agreement after all!

I now spend a lot of time encouraging others, of all persuasions, to add love to their politics. And I vote for only candidates who demonstrate such love —  for their opponents’ ideas. This is why, as I say, I rarely vote these days. Rather, I  do much behind-the-scenes  encouraging of great potential candidates, people I see practicing the sort of striving that would, indeed, fulfill Paul’s joy.

I have yet to persuade anyone to run for an office, but I do not intend to give up.

Thanks be to God that  Jesus’ never agreed to disagree. (If he had, he would certainly have saved himself from the cross — and what a tragedy that would have been for the world!) May all men realize that world peace requires us all to agree not to disagree.