Becoming One

Glancing out the kitchen window she watched as the dog streaked around the side of the house, almost flying to the back section near the barn. Once, she reached the gate, she whirled around running back toward the house, circled a tree, running full tilt toward the back area once again. Periodically, she would leap into the air or pause following something with her eyes.

She ran, as fast as she could toward the trees, and one in particular she ran around many, many times, leaping toward the sky, eventually flopping onto the ground as she panted to catch her breath. Her eyes always looked up. Following her path of sight, the woman eventually caught a flutter of movement.

A bird flittered about the barren branches, and then flew toward the barn once more. The dog followed. Circling back, the bird flew toward the house, circled the tree, and went on around the side of the house toward the front yard. All the time, the dog followed.

As they continued their dance, the bird would almost fly through the dog's mouth. It never seemed afraid . . . more like a game of tag or follow. She watched for almost a half hour as they played, ran, flitted, with the dog finally flinging herself to the ground under the tree they continually circled. The bird came to rest on the lowest limb--close enough that had the dog lunged she would have captured her feathered friend. After a time, the bird floated gently to the ground beside the dog--hunting for food among the leaves scattered around. She merely watched him with her eyes--sharing time and space in harmony.

Eventually, the bird flew off and the dog wandered through the yard once again. Making her way to the pasture fence where her large, hoofed siblings waited patiently. Nose to nose through the fence, the dog and horses smelled one another and rubbed heads. As she stood on her hind legs reaching as high as she could, one of the horses reached over to nuzzle. The dog began to run the fence line with the horse trotting parallel on the other side--back and forth enjoying their companionship.

After a while, a bird swooped down and seemed to join in the game--it flying in lines over the head of the dog as they paced the horse on the other side. Three completely different animals.; three different natures; three tremendously different sizes, yet friends who seemed to care for one another and dwell together in peace.

So often in our world we hear more of what divides and separates us that what connects us. The differences may be cultural, racial, spiritual, political, philosophical, or any number of reasons. We are different because one has more money that others, or chooses to live a different lifestyle and we argue or fight over who is the superior; whose ideas are loftier; who is more worthy of praise, success, and recognition.

When we choose, we can look instead at the things that make us alike. The simply joys of existence, sharing time, resources, and recognizing value in another can draw us together, helping us to put aside differences to become one.

"I'm not praying only for them but also for those who believe in me because of their word.21 I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me." (John 17:20-22)

Uniting God, help us to open our eyes so that we see our commonness rather than our differences. Teach us to love one another so that we may become one. So be it. Amen.