This is an ode to my big sis. Jeff lovingly calls her "A Force to be Reckoned With" and he's right. I have been inspired by her creativity, encouraged into action by her "just do it" mentality (sorry about the counter top, Jeff) and challenged to examine myself- my relationship with Christ as well as my role as help mate, mother, and teacher. I'm not the lion hearted, creative otter that she is and I'm good with that. God didn't put that in me. Me? I'm the laid back golden retriever that has to analyze the situation for all it is worth before acting. I guess we balance each other out. That's probably why we can stand to be around each other when we have our extended visits. I mean, how many people can live in your bonus room for 3 weeks without giving you reason to buy their returning ticket early??
We started out like most sisters. I was the bratty kid sister that tattled and ruined all her fun. Of course they were sneaking goodies and skating in sock feet with baby powder on the hardwoods. Can you blame me? She once told me that she remembers when I became "human" sometime late in my high school years. I remember the change in our relationship. I got to go spend a weekend with her at Berry before I graduated from high school. Oh man! That was fun. Those were the days before the road out to mountain campus was paved. Her friend drove us to the barns in his truck. I truly thought I was going to die. It seemed as if were flying down the rutted dirt road and that I'd bounce right out. What a blast! But what I remember most was being accepted. Regardless of the stupid things I said or the dumb choices that I made I was her sister and that was all that mattered.
And now, I just pray that Leah has the same thing. I know she won't have the same experiences that I did but I just pray that a sister in Christ can be that encourager and challenger, full of the unconditional love that my sister has for me. Tri and I were talking today about how hard it is for women to be "real" with each other. I know there are the usual excuses- I know them well. I made them often. Babies, jobs, a household to maintain, fear of rejection..... The list is endless. So, how do we get past all that and have that relationship with another that is deeper than it is wide? I think it all comes down to vulnerability. God has been working on me in that area lately. I have to say it has been one of the more painful lessons and yet it has been so wonderfully freeing. Aside from my sister (and of course Jeff), I haven't had any deep friendships since college. Do the math. That has been a while. There is something about living in a 10x10 dorm room that fosters that closeness. There is nowhere to hide. There are tons of oppotunities for trips to Waffle House and just sitting around chatting instead of studying. I left college with a longing for deep friendships but no idea of how to recreate that outside of a dorm room. Recently Jeff and I had the opportunity to give our life story in a small group setting. Despite the fact that I wanted to gloss over all the less than perfect areas of our life, we just laid it all out there. Now that it is behind us I can say I'm glad we did it. In just a few short weeks I have had more heart to heart conversations with the ladies in that group than I have had in years. I praise God that He gave us the courage to be who we are and to rest in our identity as His children. I challenge you to lay it all out there with somebody too. The rewards are amazing!
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