Humility = Harmony
February 25, 2020
Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Philippians 4:2-3 NLT
People tend to look for the perfect church. Have you ever heard, “If you find the perfect church, don’t join it, you will ruin it?” Laughable, but true. There is no perfect church because there are no perfect people. Our humanity and imperfections cause us to be sandpaper on each other. The Philippian church had the same problem your church has. Two people; two wonderful leaders, Euodia and Syntyche, weren’t getting along. We don’t have any idea what the disagreement was about, but we know the things that are truly significant.
A lack of harmony never stays a secret. Paul was in Rome, a journey of approximately six weeks, three months, depending on the weather, according to Bible scholars. Yet news travels. And bad news always travels faster than good news.
When there is conflict in the church, it infects everyone. People tend to take sides, and there is always an elephant in the room. The community around the church will eventually learn about it because the longer the lack of harmony, the more we “side up” and the disharmony becomes a group dynamic. It ruins our satisfaction and our joint witness.
A lack of harmony is rooted in a lack of humility and will only be healed by humility. Paul pleads with the women to settle their disagreement. How and why? Not because one of them proves her case and the other one admits she is wrong. They are to settle their disagreement because they belong to the Lord. This enables the how. We can settle our disagreements and live in humility when we increase our trust in the Lord. We can trust His work and ability to speak to others. We trust Him to always handle us rightly. We trust Him to work His best plan. A lack of humility always reflects on my relationship with God. I am trusting my own wisdom, persuasive speech, and abilities to get me through. The only thing that will help is trusting God’s heart. Lack of humility is a great sign of lack of trust, right up there with anxiety. We prefer to say we’re anxious instead of not humble.
Mutual humility heals and grows the church. I have a handmade sign in my breakfast room that previously hung over the kitchen table as I grew up to encourage humility and harmony in our home. It reads, “Oh, Lord, let me be the axle grease that helps the wheels of our home run smoothly.” My mother was urging us to humbly choose to be the harmony-bringers, the non-gossipers, the ones who refused to take sides but served everyone, promoting unity. That is essentially what Paul is saying: “These are your family members—don’t contribute to the disharmony.”
Humility equals harmony. You can’t have it without harmony. It doesn’t mean you will automatically get along with everyone, but it certainly ups your chances for community peace and will certainly promote peace in your own heart.
Good news. Sandpaper is meant to refine and smooth. In your sandpaper relationships, remember God has His best opportunity to refine and smooth and make things beautiful if He gets to work with our humility.
- Pray, “Oh God, let me be the axle grease that helps the wheels of our home/church/business run smoothly.”