Brilliant.

It's brilliant, really. This whole idea of "family." The reality that one does not have to go through this life alone. Each one of us holds in our life a group of people that the Lord above all has placed us with.
And I believe most people overlook that.
God is in control. God always was in control. He created Heaven, and he created Earth. And He created you. So, if you dare to think like this, you shouldn't forget that He created your heart. He knows exactly what you need in a group of people you will travel through life with. Do you really not believe that He put each one of them in your family for a purpose?
Now, they by no means are perfect. I can eagerly attest to that. They make their mistakes, they sometimes won't understand you, they're unfair. But God gave them to you. Friends may come and go. You can choose to leave a person's life. However, at our ages, you cannot simply forget your family. Your brothers and sisters and parents are going to be there for a long time, so why on earth would you not try to grow close to them? It breaks my heart how people are so blind. So utterly blind to the lives of their siblings-- older and younger. Do you seriously pay no attention to their struggles, and what horrible messes and trials they're going through? Honestly?
I have learned that the deepest wounds can come from a sibling ignoring you. Some of the sharpest blades cut when you try again and again to earn their respect, but to no avail. As a younger and older sibling, I know that I see the flaws of my brothers and sister. But I need to examine mine instead of theirs, and fix mine. Complaining about them is actually not going to help me. At all.
Now, this whole thing has happened to me. The whole, "I'm going to fix myself so I can be better to them," thing. And then, you know what? Sometimes they don't notice. They pay no heed. They do nothing and make no effort to grow closer to you. And gosh, how it frustrated me.
But that was me trying to do it in my own power.
And I can't! Yeah, it took me long enough to figure that one out. I just can't. So you know what you've gotta do? Pray. And that should not sound cliche. Do you think that nothing's going to happen if you pray to the God of the universe, who just so happened to create you? Really? Do you know how silly that is? If your circumstances don't change, your heart certainly will. The person in your family that hurts you the most, the person that pays the least attention-- that is the exact person you need to pray for every day. Every single day.
You know, your family says so much more than you will ever know. People you attempt sharing the gospel with may never, ever accept a church invitation. They may never join your Bible study. But the very way your family interacts can change a heart drastically. I'm not even kidding.
And here's the last thing before I end my sermon. ;)
We're teenagers, right? And the majority of you have teenage siblings. It may be a little brother or an older sister, like me, or it might be the other way around. Whatever it is. These teenage years are some of the toughest years of our lives. I think we all figured that out just a little too late. But there's something else we need to figure out. We've been given a second chance; this is something we can learn before it's too late. You need, if at all possible, to find a way to grow close to your teenage siblings. That is one of the most important things. You're both, or even all three, going through heck right now, correct? Just think of how much easier it would be if you could talk to them. If you could open up to them. You've got to learn to stick together-- it will be so much better, believe me. And I know there are friends. There are almost always friends, and they share that job. But they don't share your house. Your siblings kind of do. Kind of.
But if you can't open up to them, then at least be there for them. That is something that takes a tremendous amount of bravery. To be a shoulder to cry on for someone who doesn't understand you. Hopefully, this won't be the case. But if you try again and again to form a bond with that sibling, and it doesn't work, then you must do your best to be their support anyway.
"But what if I get even more hurt? What if it doesn't work? What then?" You know, I heard somewhere that God doesn't call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful. Praying for and respecting our brothers and sisters is being faithful to God. If you wanna disagree with that... well, maybe you should open up your Bible again.