At the height of Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was asked to lead a large gathering of Union forces in a prayer to God that He might be on their side. Lincoln stood up and said: “Sir, I am not really concerned about whether God is on our side. I am very concerned whether we are on God’s side.”
We all want to be on God’s side. But standing on God’s side is not always easy. Making room for God’s bigger vision of others is difficult. It means that we must commit ourselves to listen to others who we believe are wrong, just in case they might be on God’s side too. It means we must accept those who are different from us and difficult for us, just in case they might carry a truth that we cannot see. It means we must love our enemies and dialogue with them, because only if we do might we discover common ground by which God intends to build the future.