GENESIS 30:1
Jealousy has been a problem for me. My older sister gets to do everything first. My younger brother never gets blamed for anything—if we fight, I get in trouble. The list is endless. Reading the story of Rachel and Leah helped me realize that being jealous only makes you bitter inside, and you start to despise your sibling. We should be thankful for our siblings, not jealous of what they can do that we can’t. God gave us older siblings to look up to for guidance or younger siblings to set the example for. I never realized how much I loved my sister until my brother started treating me like I treat my sister. If we keep up the view of jealousy, then we, like Rachel, will begin to grow bitter and start to wonder why everyone likes our siblings better than us. If you are a new older sister, then you may think your new sibling is stealing all the attention away from you. But we need to love our siblings, not be jealous of them. God made us who we are, so there’s no reason to be jealous of anyone. It really helps to read this passage and find out how Rachel reacted. We should ask God for help with this, so that He can help us through it.
Kristen Isaac, 14, Covenant Christian Academy, La Union, NM
God, I want to love my siblings, not be jealous of them.
Teach me to be happy with what I have.