Sibling Rivalry

Luke 15:32

It was meet that we should make merry,and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

When we think of stories of sibling rivalry in the Bible, there are many stories from the Old Testament that come to mind. The story of the prodigal son can also be a story of sibling rivalry. The older brother wasn't happy to see his younger brother come home. He wasn't even happy to see that burden lifted from his father or to see the joy returned to his father because his child came home. The Bible says he was angry. He told his father that he had been there the whole time, yet he didn't rejoice over him the way he was rejoicing over his brother. The joy the father felt at having his younger son come home doesn't take away from the happiness he always felt at having his older son never leave home. My mother has three children and how she treats us has to do more with how we need her at that moment than how she loves us. I realize this. I am also a mother of more than one child. But sometimes I have still felt slighted, as the older brother must have felt. It's human nature. Sibling rivalry has been around since Cain and Abel. The trick is to understand what's really going on and not live in our feelings. The older brother should have rejoiced as well. Don’t let the enemy drive a division in your family. You will not always be the main focus. That’s okay. Rejoice with your family over your sibling’s success. It doesn’t lessen anything for you.