The Importance of Spending Quality Time with Your Younger Siblings

“Lila, can you pretty please come build Lego’s with me?” I looked up from whatever school assignment I had just been working on, and stared into my little brother Noah’s sweet eyes.

He was desperate for some attention.

I quickly glanced at my schedule, realizing I still had more school to finish. I sighed and glanced back at Noah.

I wish he wouldn’t give me the puppy dog eyes. He knows how cute he is when he does that…

I was about to tell him I was busy at the moment, but the Holy Spirit convicted me quickly and reminded me that spending time with Noah is very important.

Can you relate to this? Whether it’s my seven-year-old little brother, my ten-year-old little sister, or my pre-teen sister, my siblings seem to always be demanding my time and attention.

I have a strong feeling your siblings can be the same way (Can I get an amen?).

What do we do about this as believers? Do we brush our siblings off, promising ourselves we’ll make up for lost time when they’re older and they enjoy the same things we do? Or, despite our busy schedules, should we set aside our pride and invest in our siblings while they’re still little?

Why don’t we turn to God’s word and see what he has to say?

Jesus and Children:

As some of you may know, I love running. Cross country is my favorite sport! This past season, I experienced the terrible plague of shin splints. I couldn’t run for several weeks, and I had a lot of spare time on my hands.

Thankfully, I was able to spend that time reading scripture, and I read through the entire book of Mark in one sitting. What surprised me the most while reading, was all the references of Jesus spending time with children. Jesus loved children, and he cherished the time he spent with them, so why wouldn’t we.

Mark 10: 36-37 says, “And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”

We can see here that Jesus valued the time he spent with children. This is because Jesus came to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45).

The same is true of us. We’re not to be consumed with ourselves and our needs. We’re to constantly look to Jesus, and follow in his footsteps by serving and loving others, especially children.

So, how do we apply this to our lives? Do we really have to spend time with our siblings every time they ask us to?

Once again, let’s turn back to scripture and see what the word of God has to say.

Time For Ourselves:

The short answer is no, we do not have to spend time with our siblings every time they ask us to. There will be times when we have to finish a project for school, or we’re having a friend over and we’re trying to hang out with them, etc.

But there has to be a healthy balance. To be honest, I don’t know if there is a clear balance. But scripture does give us examples of Jesus having, “alone time.”

In Mark 1:35 Jesus gets up very early in the morning to spend time with God. During this time, he prayed.

Jesus knew how to prioritize his time, and so should we.

Discipling Our Siblings:

It’s so important to spend time with our siblings, because it’s a part of discipleship. All believers are called to discipleship (Matt.28:20), and that is something that begins in the home. We disciple our siblings by spending time with them and doing life with them.

By spending time with our younger siblings today, we are planting seeds for the relationships we’ll have with them as they grow older. As we plant these seeds, God will provide the growth (1 Cor. 3:7).

Taking An Inventory of Your Time:

Today, I pray that you would take time to take an inventory of your life and how you’re currently spending it. How can you begin to invest in discipling your siblings by spending time with them?

Be encouraged, dear friend, that not only are you serving your siblings by spending time with them, but you’re serving the Lord.

 Col. 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”