Merciful God, show your mercy on this dear reader in all s/he may face today. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.
We continued our Wrestling with God sermon series talking about Wrestling with Siblings and Other Loved Ones. It was a sermon well-received because all who have or have had siblings identified with the challenges. We looked at two passages that dealt with siblings. We chose the one of Esau and Jacob because their conflict started inside the womb. It drove their mom, Rebekah, to exclaim to the Lord, "If this is the way it's going to be, why am I still alive?" I shared how many women have said that at different points of their pregnancies, some at the beginning, some at the end, some still harp to this day! But she went and prayed to the Lord about this pregnancy and God gave her the honest answer about two nations at war inside of her, two peoples who would be divided. It's an interesting story found in Genesis 25:19-27. For better background re-read the chapters prior and after to the passage. If ever there was a dysfunctional family, this was it. The two were as different as night and day, and mom and dad didn't help matters in that mom had her favorite as did dad.
The other passage was from Genesis 4, the story of Cain and Abel. This is a tragic story of two brothers, not twins as the boys above, but close enough to grow up together until that point where anger "at church" drove Cain to rise up and kill his brother. The first murder in the Bible happens at the hand of a brother; fratricide: brother killing brother.
How do we cope with our siblings? Remember first, no one is perfect, not even you! (I'm the first to claim that by the way). But we can take the lead in showing 5 A's for the sake of our siblings: Affirmation, Affection, Adoration, Attention, and Association. If we affirm Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we should live our lives in that way, and the best way to start in our relationships, especially with siblings, is to affirm that their life is a gift from God, loaned to us for only a while. Affirm the goodness that God has in that brother or sister of yours. Affirm the need to forgive that may be present. Affection is a bit more difficult, but we need to show it, yes even to our brothers and sisters. Show that you do love them and care for them. Demonstrate a touch or hug or whatever shows that your feelings of love are deep. Show your adoration to God for the person that is your sister or brother. Let your worship reflect your thankfulness to God and for the life of your siblings. Attention means to spend time together, even though miles may separate you. And lastly, spend as much time as you can with each other.
PRAYER: Loving God, there have been times when I did not get along with my brothers and sisters, but I repent of those times and ask that You help me show all that I need as a thankful obedient child of Yours. May this also be a part of the way I share this with others. I pray all of this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
