Prayer for a strong brotherhood
By Chelsey Dematteis
Bible Reading:
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they can see your good work and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
Read or listen to the following:
I was able to hear my older brother and only brother in his church a few weeks ago share the message. I didn’t say he was coming, so I snuck up my back with the toddler and slid into their toddler’s room and watched from the TV. I was overcome with emotions as I listened and saw him teach him a message about prayer, faith and obsessing with relationships. I thought to myself, “He was made for this.” The way God weaves the heart with kindness, compassion, conviction and love is on display, and he shared it with great sincerity.
I was immediately brought back to the fall of 2011. I was not used to faith. My life was worthy and not perfect. I’m against it. I was messy and deeply broken. But he loved me anyway. He persisted in his relationship with me and made sure I knew I had a seat at his table.
That fall, I began attending church regularly with him and his friends. From there they invited me into their small group. They included me in every outing. My brothers first loved me like Jesus, so they loved me like Jesus. A few months later, when I decided to be baptized, I couldn’t think of someone better in the water than he did. That alone will tell you how special he is. Love, patient, kind, listen quickly and speak slowly. Love and lifestyle like Jesus. It’s not perfect, but I’m looking for something perfect. And these only hurt the surface of who my brother is.
When I consider the gifts that my brother has given me in my life and in the lives of others who have met him, I consider how he reflects Jesus wherever he goes. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. You cannot hide the city placed on the hill. People light up the lamp and place it under the basket, but they place it on a stand, and give light to all the house.
Hearing him, I shared the message with his congregation, solidifying what I have known for years and years. Being his sister is a gift and an honor. Having the relationship we have today is a blessing from the Lord. I fought sometimes. There were years of tension, but there were more years when we were on each other’s corners. That’s why I’m grateful. As years pass and we grow older, we pray that we will cling to one of the most sacred relationships in which God exists: the relationships of brothers.
Let’s pray:
Thank you for the gifts of my dad and brothers. It’s a gift to live life with someone else by your side. Someone who chooses to love you no matter what. I hope my heart is consistent and persistent in loving my brother. Help me to serve, encourage them and find a way to be there. Holy Spirit, I ask you to tweak me so that you can reach out to my brother when he struggles. I want them to know that they are loved, appreciated, seen and cared for. Lord, if I have a prisoner, if there is a way to stir up a fight in our relationship even if I don’t know. Give me a heart of repentance for the way my brother and I hurt each other. If there is hostility, it can help to heal that tension and make it a new one. I ask all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo credit ©GetTyimages/MichaelTruelove
Chelsea is the voice of my life, who lives a life of Christ in a world that is hardly podcasts and devoted to him for 52 weeks, who lives a life of Christ in a world that is centered around me. She writes Lifeway Women’s Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and Devotions for Ibelieve.com. She also writes a Bible Reading Plan for the Youversion Bible app. Chelsea lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and her website chelseydematteis.com.
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