I am now eleven weeks into having eleven siblings (for more info on our family's adoption, read our blog). I'm so blessed! Here's a list of 5 wonderful things about my younger siblings: there's more, but I'll start with 5. Maybe some of them will sound like your siblings, or maybe there's other ways your younger siblings are a blessing in your life. Feel free to comment and mention them!
1. They make me laugh: often, long and well. Everything from their innocent mispronunciations, to their daily-exhibited creativity, to their acting flair and strong sense of humor keeps life interesting and fun.
2. They're great for "practicing tenderness": what in the world do I mean by that? I borrow the idea from Eric and Leslie Ludy: all too often I treat my siblings like junk, yet expect to be loving and tender toward my future spouse and kids. But chances are I'm not going to change character the day I get married, so the way I treat those nearest to me now will be true later as well. And I will have the added plus (well, actually it's the most important reason) that Christ tells me that the second commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22: 36-40).
3. They keep me humble as they already surpass me in many areas: whether it be art, sports, or even just strategy games, their talent frequently beats mine soundly. They amaze me!
4. They will always be there for me. Our relationship is not perfect. We have our differences. But no matter how many times I have hurt them, they have forgiven me. And when I grow up and move away, they will not forget me. And when I go through hard times, they will care about me. I intend to do the same for them.
5. They are resilient and joyful! Despite struggles and troubles in their early life before adoption, my 9 younger siblings are resourceful, strong, and happy. Laughter and smiles are abundant in our house. I'm grateful that God has healed them physically, emotionally, and physically.
~Lissie
I agree 100% with all of those! Siblings make life that much better :-)
ReplyDeleteSome other benefits: you can learn how to interact with different character and personality types. It's been said that in an average family most of the different types you will interact with in your life are already represented - and that's especially true of a big family!
You can't just leave when things get tough. You have to stay and that forces you to work things out. It's also good practice for marriage and career and other kinds of commitments.
I'm sure there are more but those are the two I thought of right away. Just a few of the reasons why family is a wonderful gift from God! :-)
Thanks for adding, MacMeister! I hadn't really thought about the first point, but it's so true-and a blessing.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this!! It was so encouraging and kind of ironic as I have been thinking about the same things!
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