I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10

            This month we celebrate the United States of America. Although 1 Corinthians 1:10 was in a letter to the leaders of a church, it made me think of just how divided we’ve become as a country. Sometimes the idea of unity in America seems impossible, but let’s talk about a few ways we can encourage unity within the land of the free and the home of the brave.

1. Listen to someone who is different from you. By listen, I don’t mean to simply be silent as we decide what we’re going to say next. I mean pay attention to what he or she is saying. By truly listening to another, we may learn about specific needs that call for prayer either at the time or later. Learning how to pray for someone may put us in a position to minister to the person.

2. Speak in a civil tone of voice. I have often heard the saying, “I can’t hear what she’s saying because of how she’s saying it.” Coming to unity requires a certain level of respect for each other. In my job, I answer the phone and often the person on the other end is upset. If I become upset, the conversation can easily escalate until nothing good is accomplished. However, if I remain on an even keel…even praying silently for the other person…we often come to agreement. And God only knows the impact the prayer has.

3. As we drift off to sleep at night, we can pray for God to make divine appointments for us the following day. These are times when we “just happen” to run into or connect with someone who shares a need or a blessing with us. Maybe it turns out that we’re from the same neck of the woods or we both played the oboe in college. That connection may be just what the person needs to allow us into their circle of trust.

4. Be open to learning something new. Just because two people disagree on one topic doesn’t mean that they have nothing to learn from each other. Sometimes I leave a conversation thinking, I remember acting like that in a conversation last month. I never want to act like that again. Or I might think, Lord, help me to pass on the grace he showed me in that discussion.

5. Practice allowing the other person to have the last word. At times we need to ask ourselves whether it’s more important to be right or to salvage a relationship or a potential relationship. Seeds that have just been sown need time to take root and grow. Give the other person time to process your point of view.

We can all use more intelligent, reasonable interaction. Try putting these tips to use and let us know how it goes. Who knows? We may start a trend that brings us back to being “one nation under God.”