I listened to various people read Ephesians, and I was struck by the differences in voices. Everyone had his/her own style of reading. Several read from different versions of the Bible. The words jumped off the page of my Bible as I listened. The words came to life through listening to my friends read. As I heard their voices, I also heard their personalities and experiences. I thought of the struggles they’ve recently shared. I thought of their varying life stages. I thought of how God created each of them to be unique.

And yet, we’re united.

In our unity, we celebrate our differences. With our differences, we strive toward unity.

I don’t need to respect how someone is different from me just because she’s different – as my culture of tolerance would dictate. I respect the person because she’s created by God. I also don’t accept every difference, because not every difference is God-given. I measure each difference with God’s guidelines and then respond with his love, which includes encouragement and compassion as well as discipline and accountability.

The same applies to similarities. I might connect with someone who is similar to me…but what if we’re similar in ways that aren’t God-honoring? Unity includes a willingness to extend and accept encouragement, compassion, discipline, and accountability. Unity involves trusting God enough to let him work through others in my life – using his standards – not mine, a friend’s, or society’s.

God is patient and compassionate but he’s also just. He has standards, and in order to maintain order in a chaotic world, we must expend effort. It takes effort to confront on the path to make peace. It takes effort to understand someone’s perspective and extend compassion. It takes effort to accept and offer forgiveness. It’s easy to find turmoil and dissension. The effort toward unity is worth every bead of sweat and minute of time.

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. Ephesians 4:1-5 (The Message)