Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers,² older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. 1 Timothy 5:1-2
When I read these verses I immediately thought about the three “other sons” in my life.  I had just had the conversation with them recently about how much they mean to our family.
Cole, my youngest, asked me about a month ago if Hassan, Christian, and Landon would still come around when they are in college.  I replied with an “Absolutely!”
Many kids call me “momma Shuff”, but these boys seem to have nestled themselves right into my heart.  Cole and Holly act as if they are their brothers.  They in turn treat Cole as their younger brother and protect Holly as their own sister.
We often have no idea of the influence we have the others’ lives or how much we mean to them.  So I informed these three about Cole’s recent question and reinforced that “Mi casa, su casa”.
The time is drawing near for my eldest and his best friends to adventure off to college. I pray for these boys daily as if they were my own.  I pray that they will: desire to know, grow, and show Christ love, to not be ashamed to be a child of God, and to be positive leaders and make good godly decisions.
So do these “other sons” treat Cole as a brother, me as a mother, Holly as a sister, and “Mr. Tim” as a father figure? You bet, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.
Boys (young men), if I haven’t told you lately…I love you! (Great, now I’m crying.)

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