Sisters!!!

Since we are on the verge of February, and thus "Valentines Day", I wanted to dedicate a post to a couple of special people in my life.

The first is my sister, Elizabeth. Though we wasted much of our childhood bickering...okay plain fighting would be more truthful...., she has become a very special part of my "adult" life. I regret that I was too busy quarreling and "picking" to see what a great person she is! In our teens we were often called "twins" because we looked so much alike....great for me, but not so good for her! :) I don't know that we really look all that much alike anymore..(which is now good for her because I am the one going prematurely gray!)..but I find it interesting that we are so much alike in other areas! We both have "larger families" (of course, "larger" is a relative term, and to her my family wouldn't be considered "larger", because hers way outnumbers mine!!) Many times it seems as if God is dealing with us in the same areas of our lives! We often are "working through" the same issues, or reading the same books. We both have a desire to find ways to spend less...especially at the grocery store, to be better organized and neat in our homes, to loose weight, to train up Godly children that truly love the Lord with their whole heart, and to be a Godly wife and mother! What a blessing it is to have a sister - which is also a "sister in Christ" - that can be an encouragement and a conviction to my life! It is such a comfort to know that when I am struggling with an issue, I can call my beloved sister and she will have "all the answers"!....just kidding ...., but often times she can be dealing with the same thing, and we can encourage each other, or maybe I just need "put in my place" and reminded of who God is, and who I am! So, I thank God for my beloved "sis", as He couldn't have given me a better older and wiser sister to look up to! She is certainly a model of Godliness to me, and she has done a tremendous job with homeschooling her children and training them in the ways of Godliness as well.

My second special person God has put in my life is my sister-in-law, Melissa. Though we really had very little in common for many years, she has now become a great blessing to me! God has worked in both her life and her husband's, and not only are they both now active in their church, but they are really concerned about growing in the knowledge and grace of the Lord! On a side note I would like to mention that it was through her son's profession of faith, and talking of God and Heaven that sparked the interest in Melissa and her husband. She has shown such hunger for the Word of God, and desires to never slip back into the "old way of life", but to grow in Christ! She has become a "woman of prayer", and has a burden to pray for and help others! She has such concern to reach those that are "lost", and has really convicted my heart for becoming "cold" about those needing salvation! She has such "fire" for God...it is so exciting to see and hear of how God is working in her life! Just talking with her not only leaves my heart full of joy "overflowing", but it also convicts me for my own laziness - in both my own walk with God, and with witnessing to others about God's precious gift to them! How easy it is for me to become "complacent" in my life, not only in my own need of growth in Godliness, but also about the spiritual needs of those around me! A statement she once made always convicts me when I am tempted to "give up" on my feeble attempts to minister to someone: "God never gave up on me, so how can I give up on someone else?" I am so glad that God has not only saved her soul, but that He also put her in my life. She is a great at admonishing without even knowing it! She is truly a blessing to me, and is on the pathway to real Godliness!

I am usually reminding my children that we are always teaching something to those around us. It is a good reminder to myself as well. What am I teaching others by my attitudes and actions? Am I influencing those around me to walk in the fullness of God, or in the flesh? May the Lord enable me to live each day with an awareness of His presence, and have a burden for the lost and hurting around me! And, again I thank God for my two special sisters!