When Fences Fall
"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" - Psalm 133:1 --
The fence between their yards had stood for thirty years, a silent reminder of an argument neither neighbor could fully remember. Then came the storm that toppled it. Julie found herself helping Bill clear the debris, their first real conversation in decades, flowing as naturally as the shared coffee they sipped while working. "Sometimes," Bill reflected later, "what looks like destruction makes space for something new to grow."
Ancient walls have a way of coming down unexpectedly. The psalmist's vision of unity isn't just poetic wishful thinking - it's a practical possibility that often begins with fallen fences. We see this truth rippling through history's great movements of reconciliation: enemies becoming friends, divisions healing into connection, old wounds transforming into bridges of understanding.
Yet such unity isn't achieved through passive waiting. It requires active participation in what theologian Howard Thurman called "the work of Christmas" - the ongoing task of making music in the heart of the weary, rebuilding broken places, and bringing peace among brothers. This is relational shalom at work - not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of active care.
When Bill and Julie finally sat down to share stories, they discovered what divided them mattered less than what connected them: shared optimism for their neighborhood, mutual love for their gardens, common hopes for their grandchildren. Their small act of fence-clearing opened space for a larger healing, reminding their whole street that old divisions need not be permanent.
Today's Thought: What fences in your life are ready to come down? What conversation might open space for new understanding to grow?
