Brother…

Once there were two young boys who did everything together as they were twins.

Approaching their teen years their family was taken and they were separated by the circumstance. Coming from a Christian home they both prayed to be reunited as they sorely missed their strong bond of loving friendship.

One believed God would direct Him to his brother and began to work to earn money to make trips to different towns to find his brother. He believed “God helps those who help themselves” He began to focus on work to keep him busy in his quest and to distract himself from his loneliness. The longer and harder he worked the more desperate he grew. But what a fine reputation he had as an industrious laborer. Working hard he had money to travel and money to spare. He had fine clothes and built a fine home to share with his brother when they were reunited, as he believed he would find him one day. He had faith and persevered in his loneliness. 

Brother number two was the weaker one and as loneliness began to overcome him he prayed and began to understand “if you want a brother be a brother” and with that was less industrious as he sought to help others in there need and to befriend them. The more he thought of his brother the more loving he was toward others and the more convicted he became that God would rejoin them. His faith was resolved in loving others, the more to love his brother when they were reunited.

Then after many years, as God would have it, the first brother in his searching travels observed several young men frolicking and observed them.

He said to himself look there is a young man that looks just like me and uses the very same expressions of speech; he even has some physical gestures like me. But he in not so well dressed as I and he is surrounded by so many friends. So, he continued to observe him from a distance staying in the shadows and watched throughout the day. Part of him wanted to run and hug him and rekindle the love so missed; his heart beat so inside him but his mind was filled with doubt. And the more we watched the more he questioned. How could this be my brother? He may look like me but he is not quite like me. He is not industrious like me? Look at him wasting his time. He is not lonely and desperate like me? He is not alone as I am. He has no value of money observing him sharing. Look he treats others to food and beverage and gives money away; observing him give to a beggar. And it is obvious he is not searching for me as I am for him? This is not the brother I know… as he sadly walked away slipping into the falling night and the darkness of his lonely heart.

Whose brother are you!