I used to read Psalm 133:1 differently than I do today. “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!“ I thought the verse meant we all had to come to an agreement on every point of our preferred theology and understanding of God’s Kingdom before we could move forward together. 

I took a closer at the text and discovered that moving forward together was not thinking alike about all things. The word “harmony” used in this verse has also been translated as unity, peace, and together.  The word paints a picture of believers with diverse opinions being able to move together in the calling of God not demanding agreement on every point of understanding before they were able to move together in unity. This is not a unity of opinion. It is a unity in the person of Jesus Christ. 

One of the most powerful witnesses of our shared unity is the honor and freedom we give each other to be different and not allow our personal opinions and interpretations to keep us from moving forward together in the calling of God.