At the edge of your grief and the beginning of mine,
where his loneliness intersects with hers,
a little ways past our illusions about how perfect this life should be –
somewhere in the gorgeous, throbbing fullness of our humanity,
we are going to unite –

We just need to find that place
where our joys and sorrows dance together
under the same full moon,
where our children’s eyes glint
under the same star shine,
where her delight intersects with his,
where your peace crosses paths with mine,
where we all stand under the same oak tree,
rooted deeply,
shoulder to shoulder watching
the same butterfly
rise up into the mystery
on delicate wings,
pure strength –
the simple realization of who we are at our core…
more alike than different,
more genuine than we behave.

Deep down, we are all souls created
out of pure Love,
fashioned by Divine Hands,
pristine essence masked
by the clothing of our beliefs,
politics, religion, race, education…
some privileged, others oppressed…
some conscious, some dangerously not so –

When we open our hearts wide enough to realize
it could have been me, you, us, them …
her success, his failure,
your praise, my lament,
his despair, your grace,
even the wisdom to say yes is a gift …

Just past the fantasy of our own glory,
into the reality of God’s –

This is where we’re going to unite …
basking in unconditional Love like a sun,
our hot toes dipping into the same cool pool,
our splashes and joyful shrieks
rising up like a song,
like the laughter of children
mingling into the air we breathe –
solidarity, truth, fresh oxygen at last.

Just on the other side of your trauma, his blessing, her fears …
we’ll finally melt into the realization:
All roads lead into the heart of God,
every crooked path –
even yours,
even mine.

We are all created in the image of the One,
who never let us go,
who has been leading us home all along.

Collectively, we have been through a lot this year. Between the pandemic, political divisiveness, fake news, dehumanizing language, conspiracy theories and propaganda, there is a lot of hatred and animosity out there.

The question is: will we allow the hatred and animosity to create a home in our own hearts, souls, lives, minds and relationships or will we find a way to unite in the common heart of our humanity?

I believe unity starts within our own personal connection to the Divine. World peace starts with inner peace, which can be found in contemplative prayer and deep union with the heart of our Creator, where all negativity melts away into pure love and grace.

When we connect with God through prayer and meditation, divisive mindsets like pride, judgement, unforgiveness, hatred and fear begin to melt away until we become wholly one with the pure love of God and gain the ability to pour that infinite love out for others.

Authentic prayer gradually brings us back into the purity of who God created us to be in the first place – heart centered people, who are humble, authentic, genuinely caring and willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Truly, we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and the more of us live from that place of deep truth, the more unity and peace we will see in the world around us.

The mystical poet Rumi wrote:

Out beyond ideas of
wrongdoing and rightdoing
there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies
down in that grass,
the world is too
full to talk about.”

I hope and pray more of us can find that deep place of inner peace and true soul connection with God, so we can enjoy a greater sense of connection with each other and see peace reflected in the wider world around us more often.

How does your connection to God help you live in unity with others during these difficult times?

Lord, starting in our own hearts through prayer, melt away the divisive mindsets which are causing so much conflict in our world today. Bring us into union with Your Divine plan for our lives, and work through us to bring Your peace and love to others, who are most in need of it. In Jesus name we pray, Amen

written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org 1/20/2021 (poem originally published on This is where we’re going to unite … – Unite in Prayer