From Greatly Divided to Greatly United
Do you know what extends from the Bering Sea to the Strait of Magellan and helps to determine the flow of watersheds in North America? If you guessed the Continental Divide, often referred to as the Great Divide, then you are correct. This elevated terrain begins in Alaska and winds its way eastern through Canada before entering the United States in Montana, then zig zags southward to New Mexico. From there this divide enters Mexico and makes its way to the all to the southern tip of South America. This divide separates the water basins that flow into the Pacific Ocean from those that drain into the Atlantic Ocean.
At one point along the Great Divide, known at the Triple Divide Peak, located in Glacier National Park (Montana), two continental divides converge, and from this point, waters flow into three oceans – Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic Ocean via the Hudson Bay – thus making it the only place in the world where from one location waters drain into three oceans.
There are several smaller divides in North America, one of which that follows the Appalachian Mountains and determines which watersheds drain directly into the Atlantic Ocean from those that exit via the Mississippi River. And you might have heard of the Saint Lawrence Seaway; well, it generally follows another smaller secondary divide. (It is the Laurentian Divide that converges with the Continental Divide to create the Triple Divide Peak referenced above.)
Not only are the drainage of rivers and streams separated by the Great Divide, we live in a world that too is Greatly Divided. We live in a world that does an awful lot of talking but very little listening. We don’t seem to agree on anything, in fact, we don’t even agree to disagree any longer. Instead, we live in a world of “I am right, and if you disagree with me, then frankly, you are wrong.”
What if each of you reading this post made it your goal to be (or become) a bridge builder; someone who helps opposite sides cross a divide? What if the goal of every interaction, every dialogue, was to have a relationship with the other person, rather than prove a point, or to simply be right? Truly listening to someone, hearing their story, has a way of bringing people together, even people of very different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs.
And if you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, being a peacemaker comes as part of the deal. In His most famous teaching, the Beatitudes, one of the things Jesus said was – “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Mt. 5:9). The apostle Paul says this, found in Romans 14:19 – “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” There is a real connection that occurs between people when peace is pursued. The psalmist writes this – “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Ps. 85:10).
So, my challenge to all of us – in this great divide of a world we live in, what can you do to build a bridge, to join that which has been separated by some great divide? What can you do help turn greatly divided into greatly united?
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