"Unity is so hard to accomplish because our hearts are very naturally directed inward – towards self-gratification. Each of us is particularly bent towards believing that life revolves around ourselves. I’ve said this many times before, that each of us naturally believes we are the main characters in everyone else’s story and they play only bit parts in ours. And if you have a hard time believing that, think about when you listen to someone tell a story. What are you usually thinking about? Are you fully present and completely engaged? Or, are you thinking about how it relates to you.
The reason we have difficulty finding unity at times is because we work at pressing for our position. We want to be understood more than we want to understand. It’s impossible to have unity if you are self-seeking. And the problem is that this is the natural direction of our hearts. Our natural posture is to ensure that our needs or desires are met, even before those we call our loved ones. We want things done our way, and if they aren’t we take our ball and go home.
We aren’t always like that. We have fleeting moments of selflessness, but it’s not our natural way. Unity is not natural, but it is of extreme importance for the church. The mission Jesus gave us hinges on whether or not we have unity and love for each other. We have to, by the power of the Holy Spirit, do what does not come naturally to us.
Jesus said the main defining character trait of those who follow him will be the love they have for each other."