God,
How very good and pleasant it is
   when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
   running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
   running down over the collar of his robes. (Psalm 133:1-2)
Yes, it is good indeed to live in unity, but it sure isn’t easy, God. There is so much work to be done by so many people to work together to solve seemingly unsolvable problems. It is easy to see a vision for a country but harder to make it happen. It is easy to envision a city transformed by the love of Jesus, but there is so much work to be done to make it happen. It is easy to see the model for living that Jesus shows us, but much harder for us to live up to it.
I know I am not there yet as a follower of Jesus. I fall so short. But I won’t give up, and I pray that I might be filled with your Holy Spirit that I can continue to grow. Like Paul, I will “press on” and “strain forward” to live and love as Jesus did. I know it takes work. But I am not afraid to work. And I will trust your grace to close the gap. Amen.