Most parents can speak of how different their children are from one another. One may be an outdoorsman, a hunter, and a fisherman. Another child reared in the same family, may grow to become a musician, preferring the arts and all things indoors. One’s idea of a vacation is camping and sleeping on the ground. The other might protest, “If the outside is so great, how come all the bugs try to get inside?”

I am the third-born child of five. I have an older brother and sister. We were each born two years apart. For six years, I was the baby of the family. My brother was wired for fun, my sister was wired for friends, and I was wired to get my way. Whether through tears, fears, friendliness, or fury, I convinced others to do things my way–same family and genetics, different kids.

It’s amazing that children from the same gene pool, raised in the same environment, can be so different from each other. The same is true of the first siblings mentioned in the Bible: Cain and Abel. Even though they lived ages ago, their story carries a certain familiarity. We must navigate the often treacherous waters of conflict in our families. How we handle the responsibility we have to look after our family members.”

It’s amazing that children from the same gene pool, raised in the same environment, can be so different from each other. The same is true of the first siblings mentioned in the Bible: Cain and Abel. Even though they lived ages ago, their story carries a certain familiarity. So how do we navigate the often treacherous waters of conflict in our families? How do we respond to the responsibility we have to look after our family members?

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Cain and Abel – Family Responsibility (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 1) appeared first on YOU.