Loving Your Siblings
The people you did not choose.
On family, patience and long histories.
The big idea
Family is where love stops being a feeling and becomes a practice.
What does “Loving Your Siblings” walk through?
Put On Patience
Colossians 3:12 · KJV
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
In plain English
God chose you and loves you. So put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience like clothes.
Clothes You Decide To Wear
Paul lists these as things you put on, which means they are not moods that arrive. On some days kindness toward a sibling is entirely a decision.
Kind And Forgiving
Ephesians 4:32 · KJV
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
In plain English
Be kind and tender-hearted with each other, forgiving one another just as God forgave you in Christ.
“Nobody knows how to wound you as precisely as someone raised beside you.”
A Soft Answer
Proverbs 15:1 · KJV
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
In plain English
A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs it up.
You Can Change The Temperature
A gentle answer is described as actively turning anger away. In a house, one person refusing to escalate can change the whole room.
Pray
God, help me be gentle with the people who know me best. Amen.
Write it down
Which family member needs your patience this week?
Choose them again
You did not pick them. You can still love them.
Which passages does this journey use?
3 passages, drawn from Colossians 3:12, Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 15:1. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 6 minutes for the whole thing, or 7 short sittings.
- Colossians 3:12
- Ephesians 4:32
- Proverbs 15:1
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.
More in Relationships
All Relationships →Choosing Your Circle
You become the room you stand in.
When A Friendship Ends
Grief nobody throws you a funeral for.
Being The Only Christian In The Group
Faithful without being obnoxious.
When Home Is Hard
For anyone whose house is not a refuge.
Honoring Parents You Disagree With
Respect that is not agreement.
Dating With Intention
Choosing on purpose, not by drift.