Unity

Upon returning to Western Nebraska from Christmas vacation in Texas, I was surprised at my reaction to returning home.  I felt not only relief, but joy and contentment at returning to the middle-of-nowhere-Nebraska. In fact, I'm feeling more at home here than I have in quite some time.

Within me, there is a spring of restlessness that wells up from time to time, urging me to float onward to other things, other places. I crave the city, the mountains, adventure; the rhythm of life that I have found in Colorado.  But strangely, this year, I'm almost to the point of calling myself a Nebraskan.  Almost.  (My response to the "Scottsbluff, where is that?" question remains "A small town in Nebraska about 3 hours north of Denver.")

Given its size and proximity, there should be an overwhelming sense of community in our little bluffed boroughs.  Although we are a community, Scottsbluff, Gering, and Terrytown lack a certain unity.  Despite being located in the same 10 mile square area, these little settlements stand opposed. 

A mutual resentment has grown up in Western Nebraska, fueled by a long history of competition.  What separates us, other than the North Platte River?  Ingrained attitudes.  Pride.  Entitlement.  Maybe even envy.  Whan I ask locals about their reason for opposing consolidation of our little communities, I hear things like this:
"There will always be the Scottsbluff Bearcats and the Gering Bulldogs."
"I don't want change."
"We don't need to grow."
"I don't want new businesses."

After each snow, it seems that Gering residents seek to outdo Scottsbluff residents, and vice versa, as if there is some award for having endured two additional inches of snow compared to the other burg. 

There are disparate police departments, park systems, newspapers, city governments.  The recently-elected Gering City Mayor takes a strong stance against consolidation of the city government and public services.
On the flip side, we have a united chamber of commerce.  We also take great pride in our most recent local celebrity, Teresa Scanlan, who at age 17, is the youngest Miss America in modern pageant history, and is equipped to well-represent our state.  Yet, on Sunday when we celebrated her recent crowning, a lone voice stood above the crowd at church to clarify that she is, indeed, from Gering, and not Scottsbluff.

Why must we divide ourselves so sharply along lines that hold no true meaning?

Even among members of our family, with whom we hold so many similarities, we seem to magnify the differences.  Our closest friends may share our political beliefs, our menu preferences, our wardrobes, our parenting philosophies, our musical tastes, and similar interpretations of the Bible, but if we differ in our leisure pursuits (or even the sports teams they support), we find some wedge of unrest.  Within the church, we've divided ourselves into little factions based on doctrines we are comfortable with, creating denominations.  Even in our local congregations, we can always find differences that irritate us.  What great distances are created with such small wedges.

Since the Tower of Babel, I am not sure that people have been of one mind.  We've discovered opinion, and passion.  And here in America, we've also found entitlement and free speech.  Perhaps we should be pursuing unity beyond the walls of our local congregation.  If we ignore the doctrinal barriers, we could seek community with our neighbors, even if they are the Calvinist congregation down the street.

Meanwhile, I will continue to support the notion that consolidation of Scottsbluff, Gering, and Terrytown has merit.   We should pick a commonality that unites us all:  
Monument, Nebraska anyone?
I promise we could still have the Scottsbluff Bearcats and Gering Bulldogs.  And perhaps so much more.


1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV) I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.