Looking Good!
My dad was a preacher. I heard him preach every Sunday and Wednesday for eighteen memorable years before I headed off to college and my first attempt at adulthood. During this period, he repeated a few of his sermon illustrations. But as preachers often joke, "half of the people don't listen, and the other half won't remember what you said the next day." So, perhaps repetition isn't a bad idea. The chance of making an impression goes up at least a little.
The story I remember him sharing more than any is one about unity. "Many years ago, an old man had three sons," he would say in a booming but gentle voice. Then he would proceed to express the old man's value for family and the need for the boys to stick together as brothers. It seems the wise old man called in each of his sons one by one. He handed them a bundle of sticks and challenged them to break it. The two strongest sons tried and could not as much as make it bend. The third and physically weaker son thoughtfully and carefully inspected the bundle and methodically un-tied the strings that held it together. What had been united was now untied and stick by stick snapped into with little effort from a mere boy.
After sharing this story, my dad would pause a second or two. Then he would say:
“This is what happens when we are separated and alone. We become weak and vulnerable. We are stronger and unbreakable when we are bound together and unified.”
One of the psalms of David starts with "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! (Psalms 133:1 NIV). The indication here is that unity is practical, "good," and also attractive, "pleasant." In other words, an entity or organization looks good and truly is good when it functions with its varied and numerous parts working together as one unit.
Have you ever tried to throw a ball with your back out of sorts? Or, try to take a casual stroll when you've got an ingrowing toenail. When one part of your body isn't working properly, it affects the whole body. When there is no unity, there is no attractiveness and practical function all but leaves! The body simply cannot function optimally.
A family, corporation, or the local basket-weaving group all have their "days." Many are unattractive and somewhat unfunctional simply because they aren't working in unity as they are supposed to.
Things tend to work better when we work at making them work.
The operative word here is "working."
I can't fix everyone else's dysfunctionality, but I can mine. There are numerous ways to create a culture of unity and start "looking good." For the sake of brevity, I'll mention three. Please, add to the list and share.
Get to know the people around you and respect their values.
Be quiet on issues that do nothing to build up the team.
When you don't know what to say, don't say what you don't know.
If you practice these simple things, you'll start to notice a difference in the morale and the overall attitude of the family or corporation you are part of. Unity will have you looking good!