Being of One Accord in One Place

Getting along with one another seems to be one of humanities biggest on-going challenges. It is for me sometimes too.

In the book of Acts in the Bible it tells about a time in the early formation of the church when Christians from many diverse backgrounds came together in “one accord in one place”. They were all inspired by the Holy Spirit and were of such oneness that even though many of them spoke different languages they could all understand one another’s words.

Is it possible today for people with diverse outlooks and opinions to come together in one accord in one place? I’ve had an experience that showed me there is a way to come together and be united in thought. The solution is to understand and acknowledge that God, the one ever present divine Mind, governs us all – and then hold steadfastly to this fact.

I was on a committee of five people representing three different government organizations. We were to review proposals submitted by contractors and to select one contractor to perform some important work. In the meetings leading up to our final meeting, there seemed to be a diversity of opinions on our committee as to what the best choice would be. We were scheduled to meet after lunch to make our final selection.

During lunch I decided to pray. My prayers were inspired by something that Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian writer and healer, wrote about God. In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she defined the word Mind as a synonym for God. She wrote: “Mind is God. The exterminator of error is the great truth that God, good, is the only Mind”.

In my prayer, I affirmed that the one God, divine Mind, was the only Mind, that this Mind governs us all, and therefore there can’t be irresolvable, conflicting opinions. My affirmation was not a glib recital of words or mere wishful thinking. It was a silent, heartfelt acknowledgement of truth. I understood the truth of these words and calmly trusted in it.

When I went to the meeting there was at first noticeable tension. A committee member joked about bringing his bat to use to influence people. One person suggested that we start by having a secret vote just to see where we stood. We wrote down our votes, tossed them into a pile, and then proceeded to tally them.

To everyone’s amazement, we voted unanimously for the same contractor. The meeting was over in five minutes. Everyone just sat around the table saying “I can’t believe we all agreed on something so easily.”

Not all group decisions in my life have been arrived at so harmoniously – but there’s no reason they can’t be. This experience demonstrated a basic principle of God – that God is Mind and that divine Mind is reflected by each one of His creation. If we understandingly and persistently affirm and steadfastly hold to this basic truth we can expect to see it guide us and others into being of one accord in one place.