Brothers and Sisters

Read: Matthew 5:43-44; Galatians 6:9-10 Nora let the door bang shut just as her brother reached it. “Well, thanks,” Lloyd said sarcastically. “You never hold the door open for me,” said Nora. “You never hold the door open for me,” echoed Lloyd. Nora scowled. “Don’t copy me.” “Don’t copy me.” “Stop it, Lloyd!” yelled Nora. “Stop it, Lloyd!” came the echo. Nora ran to her room and slammed the door. As Nora and her friend Zoe walked home from the bus stop the next day, Zoe’s brother Tracen caught up with them. “How’d you do on the spelling test, Zoe?” he asked. “Great!” Zoe replied. “I got all the words right!” “Awesome!” Tracen started running to catch up with a friend. “I’ll make popcorn when we get home!” he yelled over his shoulder. Zoe grinned and waved as he left. Nora looked at Zoe. “Are you and Tracen always so nice to each other?” “We used to fight a lot,” said Zoe. “But we’ve been learning about Jesus at church and how He loves us so much He died for us and wants us to love others and live in peace. That means caring about other people’s feelings, even when they’re not nice to us. So I tried it, and Tracen did too, and it really made a difference! Sometimes we forget, but we get along a lot better now.” Maybe I should try that with Lloyd, Nora thought. Lloyd arrived home just as Nora ran up the steps, so she held the door open for him. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked. “Nothing,” replied Nora. “Nothing,” Lloyd repeated. Nora just laughed and went to her room. At dinner, Nora handed the potatoes to Lloyd before taking some herself. “How was school?” she asked. “Terrible,” said Lloyd. “I don’t get multiplication.” “I’ll help you tonight if you want,” Nora offered. Lloyd was startled. “Why?” “Because I want to,” Nora replied. Lloyd gave her a strange look, and Nora could hardly believe it when he passed the chicken so she could take a piece first. Thank you, Jesus, she prayed silently. Please help us learn to live in peace. –Janice M. Jones How about you? Are you kind to your brothers and sisters? Or do you tease them or treat them badly—especially when they treat you the same way? It’s not easy to be kind to someone who’s not being kind to you, but Jesus can help you bring peace to your relationships. Trust Him to help you show His love to your brothers and sisters and bring peace to your home. Today’s key verse: Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14 (CSB) Today’s key thought: Be a peacemaker at home