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Salt + Sparrow

Friend Closer Than a Brother 
Motherhood

Friend Closer Than a Brother 

March 3, 2022

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 18:24 NIV

As an only child, I find sibling relationships fascinating, especially that of my own two sons, William (11) and Waylan (9).

They can be fated enemies one second, and the best of friends the next. However, despite their volatile relationship, there is ‘no one else in earth’ (thanks, Wynona) in which my boys share such a monumental a bond. 

It is quite insightful (and a little questionable) the influence these two have on each other.

When Waylan was little, we tried earnestly for weeks and months on end to encourage him to give up his incessant reliance on his pacifier.

One night, as he and his brother shared a bath, I overheard his older brother say: “Way, you should get rid of your paci.” Seconds later, my youngest child hopped out of the bathtub, threw his pacifier away, and never looked back.

I was speechless, and a little (more than a little) disturbed that after the countless methods in which I had gone to get him to react similarly, all it took was one simple offhand comment from his brother. 

No matter the level of torture utilized between my two boys, there have been several instances where one has stood up, covered for, or taken the fall, for the negligence of the other. 

The Bible speaks of a ‘friend that sticks closer than a brother.’

Proverbs 18:24

Unless that relationship is between a man and his Savior, Jesus (as I believe it was intended in this context), I can scarcely imagine a tighter bond than that of two brothers.

They speak a language beyond words. They share an understanding deeper than any measure of comprehension. They fight, they pick, they blame, and they tough love each other back from the brink of near madness and possible extinction. 

In the early days of the divorce from their father, those nights my sons were not in my care stung like the worst emotional injury I could imagine.

The incessant ‘what if’s’ robbed me of so many otherwise restful nights.

What if one boy got sick? What if the other accidentally ingested peanuts (catastrophic with a peanut allergy)? What if one met a disastrous fate via injury or woke up, crying desperately for his mommy, and she was not there to comfort him?

My one saving grace was knowing that they had each other. They could comfort, protect, watch out for, and offer assurance to the other, in the absence of the mother that was supposed to always be there. 

I truly believe that while God knew how desperately I needed these two precious sons. And in His infinite wisdom, He no doubt also knew they needed each other. A built-in best friend for life. A relationship wrought with jealousy, impatience, annoyance, frustration, while also full of laughter, secrets, protection, pride, and inexplicable love. 

Brothers. 

Sons. 

An irrevocable and often misunderstood relationship. 

A mother always worries about what will happen to her children someday when she is not around.

As for me, no matter what difficulties my sons face in life, I know beyond the slightest shadow of doubt that they will always have each other’s back, offer support, encouragement, tough love, and an immeasurable dose of brotherly compassion, which can only be found in each other. 

As an aside, I am pretty sure they know if they screw it up, I will vengefully haunt them from the great beyond.

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Manndi Wilkins

Manndi Maphies DeBoef works at the UMKC School of Pharmacy and as a freelance writer in her spare time. Her greatest passion is being a boy mom to her two rambunctious, creative, endearing sons, William, age 11 and Waylan, nearly 9. Her sons never fail to provide daily entertainment, which inspires many of her writings. She also loves to write about everything from being a single mom and dating after divorce to finding love later in life, the devastation of miscarriage, the loss of a loved one and starting over. Her pieces are lovingly filled with inspiration, encouragement and always a touch of humor. “Live a life others wish to read about.”

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"The life I’m called to live is displayed in the "The life I’m called to live is displayed in the way Jesus lived his life. Living out my purpose means to do my best to love and serve others like Jesus did, and let God’s light shine through me so that He may be glorified."

@jenjabbour 

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Every single person you meet was created by, and l Every single person you meet was created by, and loved by God. 

Even the ones who have hurt you. 

Next time you’re tempted to act out in anger, or envy, or hurt.. stop for a moment and think.. how would Jesus behave in this situation? 

Learning to respond to others for who they are rather than what they’ve done… or the emotion their actions have triggered in you, will bring you peace and freedom. 

💛
.
.
.
.
.
#faithblogger #christianblogger #christianwomen #christianlifestyle
I was recently gifted the book, Grit Don’t Quit: I was recently gifted the book, Grit Don’t Quit: Developing Resilience and Faith When Giving Up Isn’t an Option, by Bianca Juarez Olthoff. And it couldn’t have come into my life at a better time.

I think we’ve all gone through times in our life when failure has threatened to keep us down. When getting back up after yet another fall feels seemingly impossible.

And I hate to break it to you, but we will all face failure at some point in our lives. Sometimes repeatedly. But the really amazing thing about failure is that it give us options:

We can either let failure destroy our confidence and our faith and keep us from living up to our full potential.

Or we call view failure as another chance.

Embracing failure is a concept that may be difficult to adopt at first, but when we can view failure as a learning opportunity and quickly get back up on our feet, we win. It’s also a chance to turn to God and say hey.. here’s my weakness. And it’s only through our weaknesses that we can turn to God and find His strength.

So.. are you going to change the way you view failure? Or are you going to let it hold you back?

@biancaolthoff 

I'll link a giveaway for this book in stories so go check it out there!

#gritdontquit #gritdontquitbook #bookstagram #grit #christianbooks
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"The life I’m called to live is displayed in the "The life I’m called to live is displayed in the way Jesus lived his life. Living out my purpose means to do my best to love and serve others like Jesus did, and let God’s light shine through me so that He may be glorified."

@jenjabbour 

 #faith #momsoffaith #christianmoms #relationshipwithgod #christians #christianmother #christianliving #jesusalways #truth #faithinmotion #christianlifestyle #prayer #purpose
Amen 🙏🏻 @hertrueworth #faithquotes #christ Amen 🙏🏻 @hertrueworth 

#faithquotes #christianmoms #truth #blessed #relationshipwithgod #prayer #christianmomma #christianlifestyle #christianity #faithblogger #christianmother #faithinmotion #faithblog #christianliving #christians #momsoffaith #biblestudy #jesusalways #faith #bibleverse #pray
Every single person you meet was created by, and l Every single person you meet was created by, and loved by God. 

Even the ones who have hurt you. 

Next time you’re tempted to act out in anger, or envy, or hurt.. stop for a moment and think.. how would Jesus behave in this situation? 

Learning to respond to others for who they are rather than what they’ve done… or the emotion their actions have triggered in you, will bring you peace and freedom. 

💛
.
.
.
.
.
#faithblogger #christianblogger #christianwomen #christianlifestyle
I was recently gifted the book, Grit Don’t Quit: I was recently gifted the book, Grit Don’t Quit: Developing Resilience and Faith When Giving Up Isn’t an Option, by Bianca Juarez Olthoff. And it couldn’t have come into my life at a better time.

I think we’ve all gone through times in our life when failure has threatened to keep us down. When getting back up after yet another fall feels seemingly impossible.

And I hate to break it to you, but we will all face failure at some point in our lives. Sometimes repeatedly. But the really amazing thing about failure is that it give us options:

We can either let failure destroy our confidence and our faith and keep us from living up to our full potential.

Or we call view failure as another chance.

Embracing failure is a concept that may be difficult to adopt at first, but when we can view failure as a learning opportunity and quickly get back up on our feet, we win. It’s also a chance to turn to God and say hey.. here’s my weakness. And it’s only through our weaknesses that we can turn to God and find His strength.

So.. are you going to change the way you view failure? Or are you going to let it hold you back?

@biancaolthoff 

I'll link a giveaway for this book in stories so go check it out there!

#gritdontquit #gritdontquitbook #bookstagram #grit #christianbooks
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

"This verse isn’t promising that bad things won’t happen. It simply reminds us nothing can touch us when we live in Christ Jesus. We might experience loss and hardship, but our ultimate destination is heavenly perfection. 

So today, if you are living consumed with fear, practice surrender.

Take a deep breath and know that no matter what, you are loved and you will be ok.

God is Big Enough to hold our biggest hurts and make them beautiful." 

@mrsheidivegh 

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