by Sarah L. Bryant

This month, KBR is hosting an “Encourage Your Siblings Challenge.” Throughout the month we are posting articles and ideas by different sisters with ideas on how we can bless the younger siblings in our lives.
What are your ideas? What special things have you done with your siblings? Let’s swap ideas as we journey toward encouraging our siblings in the Lord!

Last week, my sister and I enjoyed some time together in the kitchen as we prepared a picnic lunch for our brothers. We made some fresh homemade wheat bread to go with farm-fresh egg salad, fresh pineapple and fruit—and Rachael’s delicious Angel Food Cake!

When our picnic food was prepared, we packed it into a basket and grabbed some blankets, and set off for a grassy shady area, with our brother leading the way on his tractor.

Farm fresh eggs

Planning a picnic is fun and it can provide a memorable time for our siblings to enjoy being together. Here are some recipes we used in our own picnic preparation.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

In a Bosch, combine the following ingredients:

• 6 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons yeast
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix and let sponge for 15 minutes. Then add:

• 7 cups whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoon salt

Mix on speed two. Gradually add more flour (around 5 cups) until dough begins to clean sides of bowl. Let knead on speed 2 for 10 minutes. Form into 6 small loaves; let rise in a warm area, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

We used shaped pans to make fun heart and star-shaped bread loaves

Angel Food Cake

• 12-13 egg whites (2 cups)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup flour

Beat egg whites until foamy, and add salt and cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Add almond extract and vanilla, then gradually add sugar, beating until stiff. Sift flour over the whites and gently fold in. Bake in ungreased 10” cake pan for 50-60 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Let cool before removing cake from pan. We love to serve this cake with fresh cream!

Sometimes simple activities can be extra-special for our siblings. Fun memories can be easily made, when we go out of our way to bless them with thoughtful projects or activities. The options are endless, and as we show them that we care and want to spend time with them, they will learn that we truly care about them both physically and spiritually. This is a key to building a strong and trusting relationship. It also opens the door for us to be a godly mentor and confident to them, as we share and point them to God’s Word, which is applicable to every area and struggle in life.

There are so many creative ways that we can share the Scriptures with them and encourage them to really seek out the Word on their own. I have enjoyed doing this in the past by creating Bible quizzes (as I daily study the Bible myself, I find interesting and amazing pieces of information and truth, and it is fun to share them with my brothers and sister). Or I may encounter a bit of interesting trivia about someone in the Old Testament which my brothers find interesting, or find a passage that talks about a topic my sister is interested in. These can be written down or made into quizzes for them to look up and study themselves. “Word finds” are so easy to create, and many young children enjoy doing them.

Create your own Scripture “word finds” for your siblings to do

Word searches are also wonderful to do together, especially in the book of Proverbs. For example, read Proverbs ten and highlight all the references to the “righteous.” Or read Proverbs chapter nine and have your siblings find all the things that “wisdom” does and says. Searching God’s Word can be so fun and interesting; you can make quizzes and challenges for your siblings to do, and give them to them on your picnic!

 

The time and love you put into your siblings’ lives can reap incredible results, which you would not imagine. We were thrilled to hear what God has already done in Christianna’s life this month, as she has done the challenge with her younger siblings:

I am a sixteen-year-old daughter; I have three older siblings and four younger brothers. A year ago I didn’t have much of a relationship with my siblings, especially my brothers. I wished God had given me a younger sister; I felt that then I would be able to have a good relationship with her because she would look up to me and listen to what I told her. However, soon I realized that I was just making excuses for not trying to invest in my brothers. They didn’t look up to me because they knew I didn’t care about them; they didn’t respect me, because I didn’t have their hearts. And I realized that if I did this with my younger brothers, it would probably have been just the same with a sister if God had given me one. It was then that I was convicted, and began to look for things to do with my brothers and to point them towards Christ. When I decided to do the KBR challenge, I was a bit worried that the idea would be met with scorn. I was wrong; my brothers almost seemed more enthusiastic about it than I was! I have seen tremendous things in them these past few days, that I didn’t know were there, as I have spent more time encouraging them. My brother Tobias has been eager to recite his memory verse to me as soon as he possibly can, and always reminds me when its time to have our Bible time together. Since all my younger siblings are boys, we have a very informal setting. We will often go to the woods and the boys will perch themselves in trees or climb a large rock to read the Bible. Afterwards we all sing hymns (they love doing that) and then play a game like “freeze tag” or “follow the leader.” I have really enjoyed watching my brothers’ responses to this time. They have had so much more respect for me now, whereas before, they never came begging for me to play with them. I have also been realizing the tremendous gifts that the Lord has placed in each one of them. God has been revealing to me that they are all talented young men with wonderful gifts which I pray will be used for God’s glory. I look forward to the rest of the month!

As you invest in and show your siblings your love, the Lord will bring the increase. This month, strive to plan special activities and projects to do with your brothers and sisters—whether it is a romping outdoor picnic or hike in the woods or fancy tea party. Remember that these investments can bring eternal blessings. “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy” (Hosea 10:12). Give a special and unique gift to your siblings—from your heart. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

A Big Sister,
Sarah Lee

We would love to hear about the special things you have done with your siblings so far this month!

Enjoy this month’s special computer desktop wallpaper: