If we embrace our differences and seek to understand one another, we will find a rhythm that will propel us forward to perfect unity.
In today’s world, it is hard to know the right way to become more united with those around us. Sister Sharon Eubank also felt this sense of helplessness and yearned to have a “union of feeling” in order to access God’s power. In her talk “By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God,” she offers several ideas that came to her as she pondered how to create this feeling of unity.
Photo by Sayan Nath
To illustrate one of her suggestions for increasing unity, Sister Eubank cites a description of a rowing team in the book The Boys in the Boat. During a competition, the team experienced a phenomenon called “swing,” which Sister Eubank says occurs “when all are rowing in such perfect unison that not a single action is out of sync.” To achieve this unity, the rowers worked together while using their different capabilities to move the boat in perfect harmony. Because each rower adapted to the unique needs and strengths of the others, the team felt the boat move on its own as they propelled forward to victory.
Like the rowing team, we need to be in tune with the needs of those around us in order to become perfectly united. Sister Eubank suggests that “the change we seek in ourselves and in the groups we belong to will come less by activism and more by actively trying every day to understand one another.” Rather than getting caught up in the diversity of opinions and causes, we should focus on fostering compassion, giving service, and developing friendship with others to make our boat swing and to achieve unity.
To discover more ways to be united with the people around us, read the rest of Sister Eubank’s talk “By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God.”
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Emma Franklin, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY PATRICK CASE
Find more insights
Discover examples of what miracles can happen when we are united by reading Sister Reyna I. Aburto’s talk “With One Accord.”
Read, watch, or listen to Kevin J Worthen’s devotional address “Persevere in Unity” to learn how our individual characteristics can contribute to greater unity.