“…make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2).

You can only have harmony if you’re singing the same song.

That kind of seems obvious, doesn’t it? A song has a melody. A harmony is a different series of notes, but they complement the melody. 

But both voices need to be singing the same song if it’s going to work. 

This past Sunday at the church I pastor, a lovely singer named Joy and I tried to demonstrate this very principle. We began singing King of Heaven by Paul Baloche. Joy sang the melody, but I burst into a Rolling Stones song. Oops. We tried again. This time I goofed by launching into a Justin Bieber song. Oops again! 

But on the third try we both sang the right words to the same song. Harmony! 

I was trying to make a point, of course. It wasn’t just about music but about life. “Singing the same song” is a way of speaking about having common goals and shared priorities. 

So here’s today’s question: In which area of your life would you like to experience greater harmony?

Maybe it’s in your household. 

Maybe it’s in your church.

Maybe it’s even in your own mind!

Sometimes we experience frustration because we want to live by certain priorities but then don’t communicate those priorities to the people around us. We can also stumble when our day-to-day choices are inconsistent with God’s will. It’s not always easy, especially as we interact with other people (and we are all, to a degree, different).

But harmony—i.e. a general unity and commitment to a shared set of goals—is something to strive for.

In music, a lack of harmony is called dissonance. So it is in life. It’s a work-in-progress. Of that there is no doubt. But step one is knowing your goals, then communicating them, and then taking your next best step.

You can only have harmony if you’re singing the same song.

---

Notes and extra content:

—Coming soon! My interview with Tim Barnett about his new book with Alisa Childers: “The Deconstruction of Christianity.”

–“You can only have harmony if you’re singing the same song.” Sermon. June 16, 2024. Click here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.