"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of the others." Philippians 2:1-4
I love many things about my husband’s side of the family, but the one thing I truly love the most is hearing and listening to Garrett and his brother’s laugh, and the close relationship they have. If I could explain this rare laugh to you I would, but it's just something you have to hear for yourself.
When I tell you I have never seen siblings as close as these three, I mean it! Now I am close to my sisters, but I can honestly say it does not even come close to those three's relationship.
It's special. Garrett's mom and dad have done such a wonderful job raising them. Their love for one another is so rare, so real, so unique, so amazing. It's genuine and selfless. You rarely EVER hear bickering, negativity, or ugliness spoken from Garrett, Ryan or Chris.
The more I see the interaction between these three, the more I realize that their relationship is exactly the type of relationship we should have with our family and the Body of Christ.
Our love for one another should be so strong that all we want to do is encourage one another, support one another, laugh until our stomachs hurt, comfort one another, and be completely selfless.
This is the perfect example of Christ's love in 1 Corinthians 13. It has taken me a while to see just how wonderful these three's relationship truly is. To be honest, I was jealous of G's relationship with his brothers, because I wanted to have that same type of relationship with him.
But I have learned that relationships are all different and I am okay with that, now. I love and am blessed that G has such a close knit family that loves each other as much as they do. And because he does, I know my boys will be raised to love one another the same way. That is very important to me.
I want my boys to be as close as G and his brothers are. I want them to have a rare, unique, and genuine, will fight, defend, protect, support, encourage, pray for you, be selfless, and hold you accountable, type of relationship.
Not only do I want that for my family, but I want that for all of us who are in Christ Jesus.
I want all of the Body of Christ to love one another just as Christ has called us to. I want our relationship to be so unique, special, rare, real, encouraging, comforting, fun, helpful, and selfless that anyone who is living without Christ will desire to become a part of our family.
May our relationships strengthen in Christ Jesus!
Jesus thank You for showing me through G and his family the importance of relationships. May we seek to honor You in every relationship. Amen
