Lately, I’ve watched my husband do something I’ve never seen him do the entire twenty years we’ve been married. It’s not fulfilling anything he is personally interested in, but for the sake of our growing sons, he has made the effort for their pleasure and their interests alone.

Making moves around the world and settling in communities and ministries outside of our comfort zones may feel like enough to handle, but there is a small exhortation in Ephesians about purposefully endeavoring to stay unified in the Spirit. That involves myself and those around me, particularly my spiritual family.

You may notice there is no how-to guide listed after this verse. How I exert myself at one location may not look the same elsewhere. The focus is on being intentional about something that often gets disrupted anywhere human beings dwell together.

I’ve loved seeing my husband make the deliberate effort to engage with our boys in a way that has brought more unity in their relationship as men. You may be thinking he began doing devotions or took them camping, but it is much simpler. In our home, there is a newly acquired interest in basketball, and I’ve be delighted to watch my husband go along with it. The sole purpose as closest spiritual mentor to our sons is to diligently develop continued unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Setting aside some time to engage in a way that others enjoy helps in the effort to pursue unity in any community. When I was growing up, I learned to slap a ministry smile on my face and proceed. Sometimes the pleasure emotions kicked in, sometimes they didn’t. I’ve endured, but also greatly benefited in more ways than I can count. The reward of peaceful unity may never come to fruition if we do not endeavor in this area. What an encouragement to know that a pursuit of unity does not always have to be difficult or laborious!