Do you love one of your children more than the others?

Guest ponderer this week: Rev. David Klingensmith who will be in the pulpit this Sunday, August 20.

Do you love one of your children more than the others? It’s a question that parents are sometimes asked, and one that most tiptoe around gingerly when answering. Do parents have favorites? And from the child’s perspective, does it promote sibling rivalry when vying for the parents’ favor or attention? What are the long-term consequences? Did some of you experience that rivalry growing up?

Sibling rivalry is front and center in the story of Joseph and his brothers. I would encourage you to read the story from Genesis 37 through Genesis 45:15 in preparation for Sunday’s sermon. It deals with how Joseph reconciled with his brothers. Ponder what was going on in Joseph’s mind when he encountered his siblings after a long absence.