Building Zion Starts With Being One

Have you ever noticed how divided everything feels lately? At school, online, even within families, it can seem like everyone is choosing sides. It often feels safer to stick with people who think like you and avoid anyone who doesn’t. But God’s vision for His people looks very different from the world we see around us.

Zion is built when people choose unity over contention.

When Enoch’s people lived on the earth, wickedness was everywhere. Violence, hatred, and division surrounded them. Yet in the middle of all of that, God called His people Zion—not because they were perfect, but because of how they treated one another.

“And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.”
(Moses 7:18)

Being “one heart and one mind” doesn’t mean everyone thought the same or lived the same life. It means they chose unity. They chose kindness over contention and love over division. They cared about each other and looked out for those who had less.

Jesus taught clearly that contention is not of Him. Division pulls people apart, but Christ always brings people together. One of the clearest ways to know how close we are to God is to look at how we treat others. As we become more one with God, we naturally become more one with each other.

“Unity does not require sameness, but it does require harmony… We can never disagree or contend with anger or contempt for one another.”
—Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Zion isn’t something we wait for someday. It’s something we build every day—through how we speak, how we listen, and how we choose to treat the people around us.

Reflection Question:
Where do you notice the most division in your life right now, and what would choosing unity look like in that situation?

Small Application:
Today, make one intentional choice to bring someone in instead of pushing them away—listen, include, or show kindness where it might be easier not to.