Siblings are often held up as examples of teamwork and collaboration. For many, the relationship with a brother or sister is seen through the experience of always belonging and acceptance that cannot be denied. In the contrast between siblings struggling to get along (family feuds come to mind) and sibling loyalty (organ donations and extreme sacrifices for the other are examples), there is a deep and intimate relationship in each relationship.
Experience suggests it has the potential to be really good or at the other end, very bad. As I think about relationships over time, the one constant is the ability and willingness of both sides to hear the other. In my case, it felt as if I was the beneficiary in the psalmist’s observation; “He remembered his Covenant with them, and, immense with love, took them by the hand.” (Psalm 106.45)
I have been recently reminded how big the family is. In this awareness, I see siblings because of a mother or father and siblings because we are cut from the same cloth by our spiritual parents.
As a new day begin, without the emotions piling up by the end of the day, it is easier to see the following.
I am a member of a big family. In good ways and difficult ones, in harmony and in rivalry, with shared spiritual principles and in the reality of our doubts and disbelief, we share a divine parent.
As good or bad as my siblings are, if I had walked in her/his shoes, it is highly likely that I would be making the same mistakes. Our steps are far more similar to each other than they are different.
We carry a shared sense of what we long for, what we need needs, and even what we want. While it may seem that we are competing, at the core of our greatest desires are gifts that can only come from another’s heart. They include acceptance, love, and understanding.
Today’s challenges will overwhelm. I walk with a spirit of thankfulness for the brothers and sisters at my side
