Emily Miller references 1 Corinthians 13 to encourage siblings to love one another, especially when they are getting on each others nerves.

You are in your bedroom quietly working on homework. Suddenly, your little sister barges in without knocking, demanding that you play house with her. Irritated to be distracted from the assignment that you are working so diligently on, you tell her to get lost.

When she finally leaves with a pout, your older sister storms in with a scowl on her face, demanding that you give her favorite scarf back. Insisting that you never borrowed the prized scarf only starts an argument between the two of you. This particular situation is only intensified when your little sister returns, dragging your mom behind and whining about how you were mean to her. This all culminates into you getting in trouble and wishing, not for the first time, that you were an only child.

One way or another, most of us with siblings have been in similar situations. It is hard having siblings, older or younger. I have a younger brother myself who seems to go out of his way to annoy me at times.

Yet, no matter how annoying siblings tend to be, we still have to live with them. This may be a challenge when they are constantly getting on your nerves. However, there is one particular verse that can help us stay focused.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. (NIV)

We are supposed to love our siblings no matter how much they annoy us. Yet when we look at this list as a whole, this task seems to be a daunting one. My personal challenge for you is to take one thing that love is from the verse and work on it for a whole month. Each month, add one more thing to the list until you are eventually in the habit of practicing every aspect of love, which this verse lists, towards your siblings.

In the coming months I will be discussing ways we can be patient, kind, and so on towards our brothers and sisters, as this is something I will be attempting as well. It will be a challenging task, and we may fail, but the important thing is to not be discouraged, and to continue to persevere until the end.

Written by Emily Miller