One Life: Sent by Jesus to Carry Each OtherSample

One of my most exciting experiences as a Christian is helping someone respond to the call of Christ upon their life. The second is helping different kinds of Christians serve in the world with a spirit of unity.

And according to the prayer of Jesus in the Garden, these two realities are intertwined.

People live between the tension of “birds of a feather flock together” and “opposites attract” – which is magnified for Christians in the YMCA and the church since we're expected to have one love for each other and with Christ.

According to some statistics, there are over two billion Christians in the world, which includes almost every kind of possible diversity, which also implies every kind of tension. It’s one thing for Christians to be naturally drawn to some kinds of diversity, and repelled by others. It’s another thing when we idolize certain attractions and demonize certain differences.

If you’re anything like me, your heart soars when it hears of someone accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! And your heart sours when you hear of Christians slandering one another. But what can we do so that there is more union with Jesus and fewer divisions between those who believe in Him?

The best place to start is with you: who in your life does the Holy Spirit want to carry closer to Christ? Are we being attentive and faithful to that? Are we actively praying for God to use us to nourish their commitment to Christ?

But also: which Christians are we against? Which Christians in our YMCA, church or denomination, city or nation, do we resent? Christian conflict is always brewing, the embers usually stoked by lingering bitterness and antagonisms. So, within our spirit, who has disappointed us, who are we blaming, and who do we need to forgive?

Jesus felt this tension amongst his people in Judea and Galilee, the crowds flocked to him, and sinners were drawn to him. He eagerly healed the hurting and offered forgiveness to all who would receive it; it was what he was sent to do. And so are we.

We get one life; you have to do what you should, imitating the healing and forgiving of Jesus, living in the tension, carrying each other, and forging union with God wherever we can.

Written by Tim Hallman, Christian Emphasis Director, YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne IN