The number one voting issue for many evangelicals this year isn't the economy, reproductive rights, the border, the Supreme Court, or democracy…it's who will heal the great divide in our nation. For people who call themselves disciples of Jesus and seek to emulate the way he lived, it’s a big deal.

Christian or not, we all know we’re sick. We are bombarded with its symptoms every day, in our media feeds, in our moods, in the closet in the back of our minds where we’ve shoved all the niggling, annoying reminders that some of our relationships are hurting and need our attention. Divisions and broken relationships make us uncomfortable, so most of us want to escape from them. But deep down, we know division isn’t something you can escape from. Thankfully, though, it is something you can heal.

Imagine if we were healed and could talk to each other again. Just imagine how gloriously boring politics could be if politicians came to the table with honesty, hearts to serve others, and egos and social media view counts out of mind. All our public policy issues would go from stuck to solvable. The economy, reproductive rights, the border, and every other pressing national issue might make progress and improve the lives of more people. This is why unity is the paramount issue of our time. Jesus and Old Abe say that without it, we have already failed. But, that also means that with it—if we can somehow rebuild it and keep rebuilding it after every attack on it toward “a more perfect union,” we will have more than mere hope for success—we will have succeeded.

It’s in our name: The United States. Are we hypocrites? Or are we idealists who must persevere in making reality bend to this biggest of dreams? How do we define this tricky, slippery concept we’ve been playing with as a nation for almost 250 years? What, God help us, is unity, and how do we live up to this greatest-of-all, yet-fulfilled promise of America?

To grasp Unity, we must understand it in light of what it isn’t. Unity is not agreement; it is staying together despite disagreement. Unity is not conformity; it is a generosity of being that not merely allows but deeply desires a diversity of expression. Unity is not an organizational chart or authority structure; it is an empowering culture where every individual believes in their agency and autonomy and has the support of their community to launch out, take risks, be creative, and accomplish greatness. Unity is not commanded; it is earned. Unity cannot coexist with fear but thrives in love. Unity is not to-each-his-own, laissez-faire tolerance; it is blood-sweat-and-tears, deeply invested care in the well-being of others. Unity is not a destination to arrive at; it is a destination to aim at and a vehicle of kindness to ride in on the way there. Lack of unity is not something to be anxious about but something to be patient with. And if you succeed at patience, then you are practicing unity. Unity keeps its doors open to all but excludes division (though the truth is division left on its own terms and, despite warning, is willfully headed in the wrong direction). Division is the tool of insecure, self-seeking, self-promoting people driven by ambition. It destroys public trust and everything decent, and, like all the devil’s work, it is ultimately self-defeating because it is antithetical to love— and love is what the universe is made of.

Unity vs. division is not a minor issue in Scripture. Many theologians would argue that it is the central theme, the resounding heartbeat, the driving narrative of the biblical story. Jesus painted a vision for unity in his prayer for his disciples in John 17. It was his express purpose, goal, and ultimate dream. The rest of the New Testament echoes this vision. It continues to remind us to strive for unity, to be of one mind, to be vigilant against the dark forces that will try to tear us apart. Jesus, the apostle Paul, and John the Beloved constantly remind us to "love one another," "fulfill the royal law of love," and "to love God, you must love your brother." I challenge you to read the entire Epistle of Ephesians in one sitting. In it, Paul conducts a beautiful symphony of unity that becomes the drumbeat to the new movement exploding throughout Asia Minor.

Scripture is explicit. It warns us against the cancer of division. It instructs us to cast it out. "Warn a divisive brother—twice if you have to—then have nothing to do with him" (Titus 3:10). The works of the flesh in Galatians 5 are all the bickering, splintering, dividing, breaking into factions, arguing, and all the immorality that flows from pure selfishness, a.k.a. looking out for number one. The list of the fruits of the spirit (from the same passage) are the spiritual gifts for committing to ongoing relationships with others.

As Christian Americans, we have a goliath task this year. We must vote to end the ugly divisiveness that has destroyed our ability to see one another. I know it may be hard. There are so many lies and false narratives out there that make it hard to see clearly. But, I will remind you of two simple lenses Jesus gave us to use when making judgments:

1) Judge a tree by its fruit. There is no need for a PhD in botany or digging through the root system to determine what the tree is—you’ll only get yourself dirty, and the hole you dig will become a hazard for others. Knowing what a tree is is so simple a child could do it. Look at the fruit on the branches (i.e., look at the candidate’s life).

2) Your spiritual gift of discernment. Spiritual discernment is the gut feeling you get when someone approaches you in the mall acting like they want to help you, but you know they just want something from you. Discernment is judging whether a person’s motivations are true, whose benefit they are after, and whether they want to control you with fear or be generous to you out of love. Our spirits will give us red flags when we suspect someone is manipulating us. Sometimes, you need to trust your gut.

This year, vote for sanity, reasonability, the kind of leadership your parents and church taught you when you were young—the leader Jesus taught us to be. Whatever you do, please vote. We must exercise this freedom and this responsibility because so many in the world still don't have it.

There is still much hope for America and our future together. We can show the world how to navigate through disagreement, division, and vitriol while still coming out on the other side intact and without political violence. It's what the world is desperate to see. They’re asking, is democracy still viable in the misinformation age when conflict and rage drive our algorithms? Can truth still rise to the top? Can reason and level-headedness still win the day? Do the Beatitudes still work in the 21st century?

Whoever wins, we all have a lot of work to do to rebuild unity in our country and the world. Let’s practice humility, go low, reach out, and perform random acts of kindness. It’s going to take time to rebuild trust, but we will get there. Unity is this generation’s main task and ultimate destiny. We can either work to speed its coming or delay it to our own detriment. Let’s get to work.