I have been really blessed in my life to have sisters. I have two older sisters and one younger sister. My youngest sister and I are very close because of our closeness in age. I can’t help but feel like an extremely blessed human for the blessing of my family.
Growing up, family was always very important and it still is. We have learned to gather around those within our family when they are hurting or are in need of support. When the phone rings and it’s a family member, we drop everything to talk to them. While I was living at college, my younger sister and I would talk, but it wasn’t often. I will be the first to say that I certainly didn’t do my job as a big sister and reach out as often as I should have. Granted, I was busy, but I have learned to not take for granted the moments I have but do not take.
If you have a sister or are a sister, I encourage you to challenge your view of your relationship with your sister and yourself. Challenge the view because no two sisters are the same and sometimes that can get in the way of the sisterly bond that you both possess. I am not saying you have to always get along marvelously. For me and my younger sister especially, we are very different and we both know it. I try to put myself in her shoes so I can imagine what she is seeing and that helps me know how to be a better sister.
Here are some things I have learned and pray that I can be better about.
- Pray for my sisters – No matter how good you may be at keeping the peace in families or even being good at winning an argument, you have to remember that God gave those siblings to you. You cannot change it or ask for other siblings. You don’t have to always agree or disagree, but when you take a moment to stop and look at them as God sees you, it will change your perspective. By praying for them, I am not just thanking God for them, I am learning to be humble.
- Don’t be quick to start a conflict – This isn’t insinuating that everyone wants to start a conflict or argument, but rather being aware of the rising tension can halt an argument. In the end, its not worth wasting time fighting about whether someone was right or wrong.
- Cheer them on even when if you don’t want to – I am not always in a good mood or am feeling well, but if my sisters just need cheering up or for someone to listen to them, then that is what I need to do. I would rather lose sleep than to know that my sisters think I don’t have time for them (this leads me to my next point)
- Make time for them – Life is busy, but family won’t always be around. Time with my sisters isn’t always going to be perfect and things aren’t always going to be peachy. The point is to make the most of the time that you have with them. This tends to be a huge thing for me because there are so many things that I want to do, but my younger sister tends to be more introverted and likes to just stay home more often. My older sisters do not live at home – one with her family and the other lives a ways away from home – so, my time with them also has to adapt to them.
“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.”
– Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
If you haven’t told your sister or your family in general that you are thankful for them in a while, be sure to tell them as soon as you can. Time is a fleeting vapor and you are not guaranteed to see them again.
