Today is Sibling Appreciation Day.

Be kind, you say? To my brother? You’ve got to be kidding. You don’t have to live with him! Many of us have a sibling whom we would rather ship off to a deserted island than be kind to. And we may have good reasons—clothes that are borrowed and never returned, nonstop teasing, phone messages that mysteriously get lost. You know.

Sometimes it is hard to get along with those who live in the same house as we do. Did you know that even Jesus had half-brothers who weren’t thrilled to be related to him? In fact, Jesus’ family thought that he was a bit crazy (Mark 3:21) and laughed at him for what he was doing (John 7:3). Later, after Jesus had died and rose from the dead, two of his half-brothers (James and Jude) became leaders in the early church.

Joseph also encountered troubles with his brothers. Of course, some may argue that he brought it on himself by telling all his brothers that someday they would worship him. (Never a good idea to say to a sibling!) Still, Joseph’s brothers reacted a bit harshly by selling him off as a slave and telling his father he was dead. Yet even in those extreme circumstances, we see Joseph and his brothers reunited at the end of the story, and Joseph offering these wonderful words of forgiveness: “God turned into good what you meant for evil. . . . Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families” (Genesis 50:20, 21).

God has placed us into our families for his purposes. And it is his desire that we get along with our brothers and sisters—no matter how difficult that may be on certain days.

How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony! (Psalm 133:1).

To Do

Be nice to your sib today. Do your sibling’s chores today. Let her wear your favorite shirt. Let him ride your bike! Say something positive about your sib.

Also on this day . . .

Today is the National Day of Prayer.

1519—Leonardo da Vinci died.

1919—The first U.S. air passenger service started.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.