Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Ethan and Charlie

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” – John 13:34

My two oldest grandsons are very devoted to each other. That is not to say that they don’t ever fight verbally or even physically but my oldest grandson, age 13, is especially protective of his brother, age 10. So I was a little taken aback when one day, Charlie, age 10, announced that he would really like a baby sister. Well, I didn’t want to disabuse him of the possibility that he would ever have a baby sister. But seriously, as far as the parents were concerned, that ship had already sailed. But at the same time, I was curious why Charlie would make that statement. It is true that he has 4 younger cousins nearby and loves to entertain them. But to bring another person into the house to share the toys, bathrooms and/or bedrooms was another thing altogether.

So I asked Charlie why he wanted a baby sister and his answer was this: he wanted a baby sister so that he could look after her like Ethan, his older brother, looks after him. So I got to thinking that we should think of God’s love in that way also. His love for us is so profound that we should, much like Ethan and Charlie, in turn love others.

Vivian Anderson