Two Wings of the Same Bird

A surprising outcome of the political struggle in the USA between Democrats and Republicans came when Jessica Tyson and Monica Sparks, identical twins, ran against each other for local office in Michigan, one as a Democrat and the other as a Republican.  As expected, only one won, but after the election these two unveiled their simple yet profound perspective on the political divide.  They spoke of their love for each other and jointly reflected on this insightful truth: “the right wing and the left wing belong to the same bird.”

Erratic at best would be the flight of a bird if the wings did not equally stretch outward and perform together the motions of flight.  Even worse to the bird would be the inability to fly at all with one dysfunctional wing – either right or left.  Obviously, for the bird to fly the two wings must work together in complete harmony.

If Americans on both ends of the political spectrum as well as the middle understand and embrace this fact, the nation will be strong despite differences of opinions on how it should be governed.  We are called the United States of America.  The concept of unity is built into our national name.  Nonetheless, we all know that Americans fought against each other in the Civil War, and our recent ever-deepening divisions, sparking moments of violence, raise questions about another impending internal conflict.

The strength of unity in face of diversity is a foundational characteristic of the people of God.  God is one.  The three Persons of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – though distinct, exist in absolute oneness.  Jesus Christ prayed that His followers would likewise be one (John 17:20-21).  Do we Americans who believe in Jesus agree with His prayer?  The Apostle Paul urged the followers of Jesus to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).  Yes, even for those who share the same Spirit, unity is hard work, and it is a non starter without joint intentions of peace.  With millions of Christians involved in the political process, we have opportunity to shed light on the way to fly as one bird.