Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Brothers and Sisters: Can't We All Just Get Along?

Psalm 133:
How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! (The Message)

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (NLT)


There's a few more lines to this scripture, but this morning all I needed to do was stop right there! Coming off of a very rocky weekend in dealing with my own brother, I had taken the mindset that I just wasn't going to be bothered anymore. What does that mean? . . . I don't know, maybe assuring new acquaintances that my mom really only had one child! . . . Or, convincing my neices and nephews that the whole Auntie Peesh thing all these years has been a big joke and we're not really related!

My brother and I's last few interactions have all ended up being scenes straight out of a Western movie; each of us having guns drawn and aiming to take no prisoners nor leave no man alive! Ordinarily, I won't tolerate the yelling matches that he and I share with anyone else, but boy can he get right under my skin. It takes almost nothing for us to tick one another off and lately it seems to only get worse with each passing.

The details of our disagreement don't really matter at this very moment. Sure, we need to have a serious intervention, but I think the greater lesson from my quiet time today was that God expects me to live in harmony with my brother. As much as my flesh wants to write him off right now, he's my brother and God nor Marie (my mom) wants to see us like this. I'm not saying that I plan on calling today or even attempting to "be the bigger person" right now. But, I am saying that I will leave the possibilities open and take time to research within myself the contributions I've made to this great catastrophe.

If any of you are having disagreements with a sibling right now, then you happened to read this for a reason too. Don't brush past it. The Holy Spirit is calling you out just like he did me earlier this morning. Listen to him! It doesn't have to be fixed right this moment, but we can at least begin to examine our own hearts in preparation for the reunion God and our moms are hoping we have!

Seek Wisdom, Find Wealth & Be Blessed.

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