Siblings often fight and compete as children and even adults. It may be over something as innocent as who gets the last cookie or as serious as who inherits their parents’ prized heirloom.
The competition Cain felt toward Abel—the world’s first siblings—reminds us that these family tensions can cause great damage to our relationships with one another, with parents, and even with God.
In the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4-5), we find a progressing pattern of jealousy, which leads to hatred, which leads to murder. The result is not one but two lost sons for Adam and Eve.
2nd Corinthians 5:17 tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” As a child of God, our identity is not dependent upon what we do, but instead upon what Christ has done to save us through His life, death, and resurrection. Rather than living in the comparison between ourselves and others, let’s live in the confidence that we have been made new. In Christ, we are fully loved and accepted.
Family Discussion Starters:
- When do you feel angry?
- How does God help you overcome sin?
- Who did God send to save sinners?
- Encourage your kids to talk about the things they find (or would find) most enjoyable about having siblings. Discuss ways having a sibling can be difficult. Remind each member of the family of your and God’s love for them.