You know that feeling when all your people are together? That warm happy sense that everything is going to be okay? I remember resting by the fireplace one winter-y evening, snuggled up as my family placed ornaments on our Christmas tree and ate delicious homemade cookies. I was so content and at peace; I felt united with my family and satisfied. 

In our current culture, it’s easy to feel disconnected and unsatisfied. This past year was not what we expected, and it’s easy to get caught up into feeling that this “new normal” isn’t as good as the old normal. Maybe you’re miles away from loved ones, or perhaps restrictions have hindered you from gathering with friends. It’s easy to feel that “if only ____,” we will feel united again. We can define “unity” as something we have to work to achieve on earth, instead of something we can begin to experience on earth but only fully experience in Heaven. 

In Revelation, we see a beautiful picture of the unity of the Church. While unity can often be thought of as physical reunion of people, in Revelation we see the ultimate wholeness that we are all longing for. It can be easy to think that if we only had all of our people together again, we’d be whole. But the reality is that we are unified through our love for Christ. Christ alone is the One who unifies us and brings fullness. One day, we will all be united with Christ, and only then will we be truly and fully complete. 

So today, let’s pause and remember that we are not alone. God is our refuge, and one day we will be all together with Him. We can feel pressured to have it all together and keep it all together in order to feel united, but the reality is that unity is found in Christ alone. God is in perfect unity existing as three persons; as the Author of unity, we can trust Him to bring unity to our lives. So instead of feeling the pressure to hold everything together, let’s ask God how we can see glimpses of His unity He has graciously placed around us. 

When the world feels a little crazy, hold onto the hope that we will be completely whole one day when we are united with our Father face-to-face. And in the meantime, let’s thank God for the unity He has provided, whether that’s a Christmas-y fireplace moment or a refreshing phone call. Our God is whole, and we are whole in Him. What an exciting eternity we have to look forward to!