Sibling Rivalry

What about sibling rivalry? Can brothers and sisters learn to love one another and to live in peace and harmony?

They can, but they must be taught to do so.

The Bible tells us what real love looks like:

“Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, ampc)

Here is a great exercise for you and your family to do together. First, put Jesus’ name in the place of the word love. That’s the easy part. Jesus is all of this. God is love. Now for the hard part. If you are a Christ follower and Christ lives in you, you have all that He is. Now put your name in the place of the word love and read these verses. It’s really convicting. Remember, Jesus is our standard; God is love. Christ lives in us, and by His power we can learn to love one another like this. Love, found in 1 Corinthians 13, was the only acceptable response to one another in our home. If you did not respond with love, you were in sin. Children have to be taught how to love one another.

I would often go back to this passage of Scripture to remind our sons that they were not being loving. Memorize this passage as a family. We all need to learn to love as Christ loves us.