#150of365 #FaithBites #FaithJourney

Love LIke a Sibling

When I was a kid, my brother beat the snot out of me. We fought like cats and dogs. That was just the way it was. But if anyone else ripped on me, yelled at me, or hurt me, he was all over it and defended me. There was one time, when a neighbor called me a Dirty Jew, threw a brick at my head and split it open, that he ran over, picked me up, and carried me into the house blood and all. He also had words with the idiot who did that to me. I saw this reflected again last night.

My girls fight like cats and dogs. They take each other’s toys. They pick on each other. They tell on each other. Normal kid stuff. At the same time, they love each other deeply. My youngest was having a really rough night last night, night terrors and all. My oldest was trying to console her, love on her, and even snuggle her. When I walked in twice (once in the middle of the night and once in the morning), they were on the same mattress. My oldest even came up to me this morning saying her sister was crying and having another terror. I went done, cuddled her, and then my oldest gave her an art project that was clouds and a rainbow to try to cheer her up.

That love is amazing. That love touches my soul. That no matter how much they pick, they fight, they correct each other, they have an eternal love and sense of protection.

God is much like that. He defends us, loves us, protects us, and is strict with us on how to behave to ourselves and each other.

“There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death.” – Proverbs 14:12 (ESV)

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-7

“For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” – Deuteronomy 30:16

““I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.” – 1 Corinthians 10:23

God has given us free will. As it says in 1 Corinthians, sure you can do whatever you want, you have that choice, but not everything is constructive, not everything is in God’s law. In the old testament we have 613 different laws or commandments to follow. That’s a lot of rules. Wear this, don’t wear that. Eat this, don’t eat that. So many laws. The reason for some of these was to protect us from disease and sin. Jesus came and said there were two laws: Love God, Love People. (Mark 12:30-31).

But like sibling love, even when we go against God’s law, he never turned his back on us. He is always there loving us, forgiving us, strengthing us.

Also like siblings, we fight against God’s law. I want to do this because it makes me feel good. Sinning wouldn’t be so easy if they weren’t so easy (and some fun) to do: gluttony, lust, envy, wrath, greed, sloth, pride. This is how we fight against God, not even knowing we are doing it. But in Jesus, we can be forgiven for these sins. The funny thing is God’s love is always there, no matter the sin, no matter what we have done. (John 15:9-17)

At the same time, we fight against God, other’s fight against us. Even though he is strict on how we should behave, he protects us against all others. (Romans 8:31).

When I look at my daughters fighting, yelling, telling each other they are annoying and being mean and hurting feelings then I look at the undying love of cuddling and support, I see how God has reflected our relationship with him in our children. We are cuddled, we are loved, we are supported, even when we are fighting, yelling, and behaving in ways that wouldn’t make us earthy friends.

Can you see God’s love in everything he does? Can you see how we fight against him but are fully supported?

I can see with the help of God.