My Brother's Keeper

The story of creation and the fall is followed immediately by an incident involving two brothers. Cain and Abel. Both offer sacrifices to God - Abel's was favored over Cain's offering. It's unclear why God favored one over the other, but from circumstantial evidence, it appears that Abel offered his best, whereas Cain's was probably a random selection. Cain was angry at this response from God and went on to commit the first crime in the face of the Earth, if you consider Adam and Eve's disobedience as the seminal event of the fall. Abel was fatally attacked. Subsequently, God asks Cain where his brother was, to which he said, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Ever since I have realized the tremendous grace of salvation I have been bestowed with, if there is one thing I aim in life, it is to please God. I even joke with my wife about securing points in heaven. In good humor, I do a lot of things in my life with an eye on those points. For company, I have a biblical hero - Apostle Paul, who makes it very clear that his life's worth was in pleasing God.

I have always wondered what pleases God the most. Obviously, the straight and simple answer would be "love him wholeheartedly." But in a practical way, one way you and I can be in his good books is by becoming baby sitter's, or in other words, a brother's keeper. What does this entail?

Becoming a baby sitter means you have to know where the baby is, all the time. You have to respond to the baby's needs. You have to do the menial job of cleaning behind of somebody else's baby. You have to feed, support and comfort the infant. Being a baby sitter is a grueling task, emotionally and physically exhausting, after which you are a spent force.

Being a baby sitter is satisfying. It may bring forth unexpected rewards - the joy of seeing a first two-legged walk, hearing the first words of a human being. It may give a fresh new life's perspective to the baby sitter. And above all, doing a good job at it - it pleases the baby's parents. It makes them proud, happy, and may open up their wallets to give you blessings in abundance. Being a good baby sitter may lead to favors.

Do you desire to be your brother's keeper? If so, read the above two paragraphs again. The initial one will show you what it means to be one. The latter one speaks of its rewards.

In my brief but successful (at least, I would like to think so) life as a baby sitter (my brother's keeper), I have had to keep a close track of my brother (not a biological one), speak in a language that I do not feel comfortable, respond to his needs - emotionally, spiritually, physically and monetarily, clean up his mess, feed, support and comfort him, and open myself up to vulnerability. At the end of each of those experiences, I have come out tired, fatigued, often wondering how much of a fool I am to have tried to be a brother's keeper.

But, equally if not even more, it has left me immensely satisfied. It has brought forth the rewards of helping another person take the first steps of recovery, making my life more meaningful. Above all, the joy of walking in God's will. Of making your creator pleased in you, and receiving blessings in abundant measure. It has opened my eyes to a fresh new perspective on life. And, I sure must have scored a lot of points.

I have a lot more roads to travel on this journey. Sometimes with deflated tires, on snowy slippery roads. But still, the experience of being, or at least, trying to be a brother's keeper has been more fruitful for my own life than for my brother. Would you like to be a brother's keeper? Ask God to show you brother(s) who needs a baby sitter. Challenge yourself to experiencing the emotional roller-coaster. Score points in heaven above. 

Here's a song for you - A brother's keeper.