Agreeable

Can we learn to agree with one another?

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. - 2 Corinthians 13:11-12

In today's reading, Paul gives the church in Corinth advice that even we would find difficult.  Agree with one another, he says.

Which is easier, to love one another, or to agree with one another?

If we need to be in agreement to live in peace, perhaps peace will remain elusive.  We seem to have a hard time coming to a place of agreement these days.  In fact, we are becoming more and more polarized in our views, and those viewpoints tend to take priority in all our dealings with one another.

I heard yesterday that a significant percentage of people polled would not marry someone whose political views were different than theirs, a larger percentage than those opposing interracial marriage.

In that sense, I guess, we may be making progress in our racial divide, but we have managed to find other reasons to disagree.

Maybe what Paul is advising just isn't possible.  After all, Cain and Abel came to blows over a simple thing like a sacrifice to God.  If we can fight while trying to be faithful, what hope is there in resolving differences?

If we want the God of love and peace to be with us, we have to give peace a chance, and unfortunately that means coming to agreement.

For those of us who won't even agree to disagree, that will be a problem.

So, what do you say?  Can we start there and agree one that one thing, that we cannot reach agreement on politics, and then seek agreement elsewhere?

Heaven help us if we can't.

More to come...