“I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called (τῆς κλήσεως ἧς ἐκλήθητε), with all humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager (σπουδάζοντες) to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in the one hope of your calling, – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4: 1-6)
The “calling to which you have been called”! What is that, exactly? It is “to maintain the unity of the Spirit (ἐνότητα τοῦ Πνεύματος) in the bond (συνδέσμῳ) of peace,“ as one Body, in one Lord. That’s what the church or “ekklesia“ (from the verb “ekkaleo,“ to call forth), made up of all those “called,“ is all about.Sadly, however, I sometimes tell myself not to bother, when some conflict arises with someone, and unity is broken. I prefer not to “deal“ with it, and let myself and the other go our separate ways. But as I read the above-quoted passage today, I realize that this “not“ wanting to “deal“ is precisely the opposite of how the Apostle is begging us to be: “with all humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to/rushing to (σπουδάζοντες) maintain the unity of the Spirit…”
So let me let myself be “bothered” today, if I need to make amends “with all humility and meekness.” And that means, leaving the results of these amends to God, Who alone can grant us true unity, as the Source of Oneness. “Come and abide in us,” Lord, and forgive us our debts in the whole business of unity, as we forgive ourselves, by Your grace. Amen!
