The other day, I was sent a story about an interaction between a homeless man and a manager at a Chik-fil-a. The homeless man had come in asking for remnants and anything they might be throwing away. Instead the manager offered to pray with him and then gave him a full meal. It is in these acts of radical hospitality that we practice unity. Whether this story is true or not is not important. What is important is the lesson it teaches about how to practice unity. When we honor the dignity in others and treat them with respect, then we work together in unity to promote love and kindness in the world
The world is full of people like this. The other day as I was in my mart cart waiting to check out at the grocery store, a young boy offered to help take all the groceries out of my cart. While I did not need the help, I could see that this was something he wanted to do and so I graciously accepted. What I learned was this this was a practice his parents were teaching him. Each day he is to do something kind for someone. When he does he gets a kindness sticker on his calendar. When he has a full calendar, his parents do something for him. His mom told me that one month, his act of kindness was to tell his parents they did not need to reward him for being kind. They did anyway. He has learned to work in unity with others to help achieve little goals.
What if we all did that? What if we all were intentional about doing one thing per day to make someone feel loved? What if we all were intentional about working together with someone to accomplish a goal? What if we all actually practiced unity in our lives? How often would we move through the world feeling harmony and solidarity with others?
I wonder if the young boy felt a sense of solidarity with me. Was he feeling the need to express some form of solidarity with me?
In a world where so many experience loneliness and isolation, may we be intentional about finding ways to radiate love towards them that they might know what it is like to have someone be in solidarity with them. What are we each doing to help the world to live in a state of harmony? Granted, we may not be able to get the entire world to sing in our spiritual choir, but we can talk where we live and promote a feeling of harmony in our little corner of the globe.