One and the same. Nice phrase. I have sometimes used it when someone asks the question, “Are you, Tracy Reynolds?” And I respond, “one and the same.”
Honestly, I’m always a little taken back by the emphasis on the word you when asked that question. It’s like they are surprised that I am the person using my name. Did they think I’m too tall? Too short? Too ugly? Too good looking? Too intelligent? Too stupid? Or worse, maybe I’m not enough of this or that to be me! No matter, I want to bring clarity to the situation, so I own myself and my name. One and the same.
When you’re dealing with just yourself, I think it’s important that you are one and the same. The implication of being one with yourself would mean that you have integrity, integration, and congruency with who you say you are and who you are. A person of character is consistent with themselves. My creed and my deeds lineup… Or at least mostly, or with a fair amount of consistency. This makes me believable and increases the chances that others can trust me. The “I” I am claiming to be is the same “I” that I actually am. One and the same.
But when we’re talking about organizations, groups, and teams It should not be our goal to be one and the same. We need to be one, but not the same. One of my favorite, authors and speakers, Bob Goff, introduced me to this phrase in his latest book Undistracted.
I have always contended that if we were just alike, one of us would not be necessary or needed. We must be one in purpose and one in Mission, but we must be uniquely who God created us to be. Different gifts and abilities. Different hopes and expectations. Different vantage point’s and experiences. Different strengths and different weaknesses.
Marriages thrive when the couple is one and not the same. Friendships thrive when the friends are one but not the same. When it comes to organizations, one, and the same is just boring. Differences are exciting and challenging, and potentially defining us as a group.
I Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has to serve one another and faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Each one should be one with the other, but each one should not be like the other one. One and not the same.
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