The one about the brother and sister who forgot that they didn’t get on

Disclaimer: Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead (or in my house), may be purely coincidental.

Bothers and sisters don’t always get on, especially when there is a large age gap between them. Imagine a situation where a teenage boy doesn’t get on with his younger sister, they are often in conflict with each other and they choose to keep their distance from each other.

Imagine the surprise of their strikingly handsome and intelligent father who came home for lunch and found them playing ‘Just Dance’ together. Imagine his surprise as he sees these two who are usually at loggerheads, acting  in perfect unity as they follow the dance moves together.

There is so much in life that can separate us and I believe that we need to look for the things that unite us. Having a common cause or aim is a great way of overcoming differences and this was certainly true of the brother and sister (whether they resembled real people or not) as they played a game together. Instead of focusing on their differences, they both found enjoyment and fulfilment in an activity together.

The brother and sister weren’t copying each other, they were copying the game and this reminded me of the Bible verse: If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5.25). Instead of doing what we want or what we think is right, we aim to look to God and in particular to his teachings in the Bible. We choose to follow the lead of those teachings and also the way that God guides us in our everyday lives in other ways.

When you watch a group of people playing Just Dance they are doing exactly the same thing because they are copying (or are in step with) the game. If we are in step with God’s Holy Spirit then our lives should be full of the sort of things that matter to God. Galatians 5 (v22-23) gives a list of these attributes which are evidence (or the fruit of) the Spirit in our lives. These things are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The more we copy or imitate God, the more these things will be seen in us.

It makes me sad when Christians fall out because God wants us to be one. Instead of focusing on our differences, let’s choose to keep in step with what God wants. If we do this then we will be united as we continue to become the people who God made us to be.