Philippians 4:8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
I have a relative who disagrees with me on almost every vital point. We are both Christians. We both want the New Orleans Saints to win football games. That’s about it in terms of subjects on which we can agree. We handle our differences by being absurdly careful to avoid divisive subjects. Yet this woman has lived a better life than almost anyone I know. She took care of her siblings after her father died. She is a kind, devoted parent and spouse. She cared for her aging mother for many years. While I could pull out a newspaper and point randomly, and 95 percent of the time, I would hit a subject that we should avoid, I also am honored to use her as a role model. We love each other, and our values really aren’t all that different.
Whenever we are tempted to give up on “the other side” as hopeless, it is useful to remember that the other side, whatever it is, is made up of people—many of whom are very admirable.
