“I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.”
- Maya Angelou
Today is National Siblings Day, and I am very grateful for both of my biological brothers. I'm quite proud of them as well. One of my greatest gratitudes is for the restoration that has occurred and the miracles of hope and life God has breathed into relationships that I nuked repeatedly in the past. One of the most difficult parts of recovery is walking through the rubble of the destruction I caused and knowing that there is nothing I can do to repair things. It takes God to bring life from death. I'm grateful for my relationship with my brothers, but I pray often for more, deeper and better, for continued restoration and closeness.
I am not alone in thinking that there are brothers an sisters that are not of blood though. I have been blessed in that department. My brother "Clint" is an awesome example of this, and I feel so blessed that my brothers-in-law feel more like brothers than in laws. I love each of them differently but very much. I remarked to Leah yesterday how great it is that I feel close to and have things in common with each of her brothers.
My siblings in Christ and my siblings in recovery are great sources of joy in my life. These relationships form out of similarities and service and can run so deep. My sisters-in-law can not be counted out either. I didn't have sisters growing up, but now I do, and I'm grateful. Angelou is right that relationships that result in the closeness of siblings, whether blood or not, take work. But the work is often within ourselves, as we learn to serve, put others first and give brotherly love to one another.
Not everyone has such relationships thought. I remember feeling utterly alone and unable to connect with anyone on such a level. I remember being too afraid to let anyone get that close, because closeness makes you vulnerable. I remember walking into the rooms of recovery feeling no one would ever get me or accept me to find more brothers and sisters than I ever imagined I would have.But none of these relationships would have lasted or been restored, not the ones that are blood, not the ones that are from marriage, not the ones that are from childhood or from belief or recovery had I not found the power to change my life in the One who has promised to be closer than a brother.
God has made Himself available to each of us to be a Daddy to the fatherless. When we are adopted into His family we become brothers and sisters to Christ, because when The Father becomes Daddy to the spiritually orphaned, His only begotten Son becomes brother to the same. No matter if we have more brothers and sisters than we can count and are amazingly close to them all or have none. Whether your siblings have broken and deserted you or if you have broken and deserted them, even if you never had the opportunity to begin with, we can have a relationship with Jesus, who loves and accepts us as we are not as we should be. He will be your brother, closer than even the greatest fantasies of sibling closeness. And He will transform us into a person who can brave relationships and love in such a way that we will soon have brothers and sisters.
Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments and or listens to the messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions to more people by sharing the Moments and messages that you read or listen to? Hitting the share button instead of or in addition to the like button will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.
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