 by Charlotte O In the M* world, I have heard the term “likeminded” used at times as kind of a code word, talking about meeting other people in a possibly hostile place who share your beliefs. In such a place, these people are a joy to find, and there is a certain immediate sense of camaraderie that can even appear. It can be a relief to know from the start that you’re at least going to agree on some of the basics before stepping into a conversation. It also subtly influences what you feel free to talk about, and maybe how you talk. The world we live in can sometimes also feel like a hostile place, or even a foreign field, even if it's your own family or a place you've worked at for years. And there, too, there is the blessing of finding someone who is likeminded. Someone whose core goals or beliefs deeply resonate with your own. When this is found, both sides are opened up to achieve great things. I think the most amazing thing about this word is the freedom it offers. What like-mindedness doesn't mean You can be likeminded and yet different; have similar visions but unique means of achieving them; and hold common values that are lived out practically in vastly different ways. And it's ok. Being likeminded doesn't mean being cookie cutter people who always toe the party line and never think for themselves once they've found someone to align with. Likemindedness brings us into community where freedom and life spill out onto the world around, and each member is spurred onto love and good works. It doesn’t mean peppering your speech with ‘Christianese’ in hopes of gaining approval. Nor does it mean expecting others to automatically want what you want in every situation. Being likeminded doesn’t mean being a clone. It doesn’t mean agreeing at the expense of engaging at a deeper level. In fact, being likeminded may have a lot less to do with the mind and a lot more to do with the heart. What being likeminded does mean is that you are willing to set aside your differences or even celebrate them in pursuit of a greater vision. It means that you are headed in the same direction or have the same purpose, regardless of how you choose to get there. It means that you are not alone, and that makes so much sense when you remember that there is a big God who is constantly calling people to HIS purpose. God’s plans for humanity have never changed. It’s just a matter of whether or not we are willing to set aside our own agendas, ambitions, and artifices, no matter how noble, in order to really seek what God wants to do, and how he wants to use us. There is a new kind of hope in realizing that you are part of something bigger, and in remembering that the sun does not rise or fall on your own successes or failures. Likemindedness brings us into community where freedom and life spill out onto the world around, and each member is spurred onto love and good works. Ephesians 4:4-7 (NLT) For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. Being likeminded may have a lot less to do with the mind and a lot more to do with the heart. What being likeminded does mean is that you are willing to set aside your differences or even celebrate them in pursuit of a greater vision. How to find likeminded people
There are no easy answers to this, because sometimes it can be hard, and sometimes those you thought you were in close agreement with end up opposing you unexpectedly. But you will hear it in conversation, see it in the actions and priorities of others, and sometimes even just sense it as a spiritual connection (spoiler alert: that’s called the Holy Spirit). In the meantime, figure out what gives you the greatest sense of purpose, talk about things that inspire you, and serve where you are. And as you look to the left or to the right, you will see others who are with the same light in their eyes. This is the ‘glorious hope’ that has been sparked in your heart, in your mind. FOOTNOTE *missionary
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