Brotherly Love

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

When I first read this proverb, I was puzzled. Isn't brotherly love a deeper love than a friends' love? Why then did one of the wisest men to live say that a brother is born for adversity?

I began to meditate on the relationships of brothers. It's always pure joy for me to listen to men talk scripture and wrestle different doctrines. It reminds me that the word of God is likened to a double-edge sword and just like a weapon, there is training involved. I began to watch my brothers at church and realized that;

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." 

I had failed to realize that when iron is sharpened, sparks fly. Tiny sacrifices are sharpened off and sometimes blades need to be ground deep to sharpen out chips. I'm so grateful for my brothers. They use adversity to sharpen each other.

I concluded that brotherly love is deeper than mere friends' love by virtue of choice. You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family!

Today, I'm praying for all my brothers.