Brotherly Love

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Ps. 133:1)

David's words have spiritual overtones to them, but they also speak to the reality of earthly life. It is a good things when brothers live in unity. I got to hang out with my brothers tonight. I don't get to do it as often as I would like. We usually have a good time together. We all love to laugh, usually at each other, but in a gentle loving way. We never know what all will come up in conversation. Sometimes we start with a game of "catch-up," where we lay out the details of our lives since we last saw each other. Other times, we stroll down memory lane. Or we talk about our families, hopes, and dreams. We may discuss our difficulties or heartaches. Occasionally, we may talk politics, but never for long. We meet together as friends and equals, the sibling rivalry of childhood long ago laid to rest. We are the products of our parents, raised to love each other, to overcome division and strife, to pull together and lift each other up.

I'm not saying we don't ever disagree. Sometimes there has been great disagreement, however no matter what occurs we always find ourselves coming back together. The struggles never truly diminish the love we have for each other. I am convinced that we are all aware that we stand the strongest, when we stand together. We have learned through the years as we age and mature that we need each other. As we gather together, we seek to keep the past in check and focus on the here and now. We have made our peace in times past and let by-gones be by-gones. We are all close to our mid-point in life, of course, they are closer to theirs than I am mine. I think that reality has driven us to seek unity. None of us know how much longer we have, and we don't want to waste it on petty disagreements that we would regret, if we were to loose one another. Life is too short. So I say with David tonight, It is good when brothers dwell in unity.