Unity

    In 4 Nephi we read of a people who achieved a Zion state of living. They cared for each other and loved one another and took care of the poor and needy among them. One verse in this account that always stands out to me is in verse 17: "There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, or any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God." The idea that there were no manner of -ites once led someone in a lesson I attended to make the observation that they were "un-ited" or we could say they were united.

   

    Satan does not like it when we are united. He is like one of the predators in the wild who seeks to separate an animal from the herd or group and kill it. Satan understands, if he can separate us, he can destroy us more easily. Conversely, our Heavenly Father desires to see us united. He wants us to be a part of his heavenly home. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd left the 99 and sought after the one who was lost.

    Becoming united can seem daunting especially where there are so many things that can be disagreed upon from race, politics, religious beliefs, interpretation of the word of wisdom, and on and on. The people in 4 Nephi had just seen their Savior, Jesus Christ so it may seem that they had it easy. But I believe they made the conscious decision to be united. Being united does not mean being uniform or robotic in our ways. Elder Renlund has said, "God is not interested in His children just becoming trained and obedient 'pets' who will not chew on His slippers in the celestial living room. No, God wants His children to grow up spiritually and join Him in the family business."

    Sheri Dew wrote a book titled Oh, How We Need Each Other. In this book she addresses the need for women to be unified, but I think some of the thoughts from that book can be expanded to include everyone. In the book, Sister Dew writes: "We need each other's strength and compassion. We need to be able to lean on, learn from, and help each other along the path." I remember hearing a story about horses pulling weight. In researching the topic, I learned that one horse can pull as much as 8,000 pounds! No small task to be sure. However, when 2 horses are yoked together, they can pull up to 24,000 pounds which is about 3x that of which a single horse can do by itself. The moral of this story, to me, is that we are stronger when we work together.

    Ultimately, becoming unified is achieved through the help of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 11:28-30 we read,

    "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon         you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For         my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and He has prepared a way for us to return to live with Him, together. Jesus makes that possibility a reality as we trust Him.