Jul 18, 2017

Project Love: Sisters


Luanne shared a room with her two little sisters.  That was a disaster. Beds were constantly unmade, and dolls littered the rug, turning her room into a war-zone when she needed to walk in the dark.  What was worse was when Luanne needed to be alone. Phew! No more video chats or quiet discussions or alone time.  Toss that away, because there were two blonde-headed monsters barging in.  Look out world!

One night after her sisters kept her up past midnight chattering about their pets, Luanne had enough.   Her parents finally let the other girls move into their own bedroom.  Luanne made her bed.  She vacuumed the rugs and threw away old gum wrappers.  Pictures were taken down and new ones put up.  Finally the room was just right.  When visitors came over, Luanne beamed as she showed off her room.  With two less troublemakers, her life was becoming easier.

But Luanne failed to realize something.  Her little sisters weren’t monsters.  They might have been trouble makers, but they had potential for much more.
They were best friends in the making.

God selectively chose two girls to be Luanne’s companions.  Instead of accepting the gift with thankfulness, Luanne threw away an amazing opportunity.  As she locked her bedroom door, she locked away the hearts of two young ladies who needed her.  And she needed them just as badly.

Who are your troublemakers, dear friend?

I’ll tell you about mine.  God gave me three sisters to share my life with.  They each have completely different personalities than me.  We clash.  We "debate" about things.  We get mad.  But we're sisters.  And we love each other.




My 12 year old sister has two passions: her babies (meaning her sheep and goats) and China.  If she has any spare time, she’s outside with the animals or dreaming about when she’ll finally have mastered Chinese and be on her way to Asia.  But she’s more than that.  She also has a heart for giving.  If you tell her that you have a need, she’ll find a way to buy you a gift.  My little sister is growing up into a young lady.

My next sister is 10.  If you need to giggle, just hang out with her.  She’s known for her cute freckles, her contagious giggles, and her quiet personality.  All she needs is a book, and she’s happy.  She has read my novella countless times and is helping me with my WIP.  If I need story inspiration, she’s my go-to.   But she also has a love for her babies – two cute, potbelly pigs.  Her desire is to fly to Brazil to open up an orphanage for the lost in the middle of the jungles.

My youngest sister (we call her Baby T) is 3.  She’s the epitome of cuteness.   (I’m not even joking.) Everyone loves her huge, brown eyes and tiny body that’s just right for hugging.  Her favorite colors are pink and purple and brown and orange, and she likes sharing food, drinking tea, playing with baby dolls, doing puzzles, and reading books.  We also share a bed together.  =)

None of us girls are alike.  But that’s the beauty of it!  God gave us sisters to fill in areas we lack.  I’m often too serious – my sisters help me laugh.  I run out of story inspiration – they give me ideas.  Sometimes I need someone to spend time with – there’s always a girl waiting.

My little sisters have potential, as yours do.  It might be impossible to imagine at times, but they can become your best friends.

The apostle John wrote,
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." – John 13:34-35
God has loved us in a crazy, radical way.  He literally sacrificed Himself to torture and death just to save us - flawed, broken humans.  If that heroic Rescuer asked us to love others, what could possibly hold us back?!

Let's start by loving our sisters.

As I did last week, I came up with a list of places to start…but you need to add and modify them as they fit into your life.  And I want to learn about your own sisters!  Let’s be open with each other, shall we?

I’ll admit;  I asked my sisters for ideas to put on this list.  With multiple personalities we’re sure to cover everything, right?

(A quick note. Many of these lists for loving family members will have similar suggestions. For example, love languages apply to everyone.  Take what works best for you and your particular sister, brother, parent, and so on.)

  • Appreciate your sisters' unique personalities.  This might mean loving their pets, showing interest in their hobbies, or not being upset when they do things differently than you.
  • Find out their love languages.  Then act upon them. Buy them a gift, complement them, give them extra hugs.  (one of my sisters announced, "in case any of you don’t know, mine is quality time!")
  • Do random acts of kindness.
  • Take extra effort to listen to them.   And really care about what they have to say.
  • Do something extra fun.  That might mean a dress-up and make-up party.  Or cooking something together.
  • Let them borrow your things.  And don’t be upset if your stuff isn’t returned in brand new condition.
  • Help them.  If they don’t look like they need help, ask anyway.
  • Find something you have in common and have quality time together.  Especially just you and one sister.   Go on a picnic, do cross-stitching, or listen to an audio book.
  • Pray for them.  And ask what they need prayer for.
  • Talk all night long.   I mean it.
  • Treat them as more important than yourself.  Which includes not being bossy.  (I'm talking to us firstborns. *cough*)
  • Teach them what you’re good at.  And learn from their talents!
  • Have deep conversations.  Encourage them.   Let them know your secrets.


I share that as the last one for a reason.   Don’t just build friendships.  Build deep relationships.  Share your struggles.  Ask for prayer

My three year old sister loves sharing struggles with me.  We go on the swings outside, and I always have to ask her, "What's your struggle?"  While they might be silly, trivial things, it makes her feel special to share how she wants to put together her play house or help Mommy more.

Your sisters are never too young to develop relationships with.  God put you together.  BE BEST FRIENDS.

No, I haven’t mastered it nor am I close.  But I want to have this relationship with my three sisters.  Don’t you?

I’ll end with a handful of verses from Philippians.
"Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others… Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." – Philippians 2:2-4, 14-15
 Girls, let’s shine for Jesus.  And let’s develop unbreakable bonds with our sisters.

While we're here I would love to hear about your sisters!  How are you going to love them like Christ loves us?  And how did loving your parents go in last week's challenge?  Let's talk.  =)

14 comments:

  1. I read this with my sister this afternoon. We're hoping to go out for lunch or something next week. :)

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    1. Oh Jordy, that's so sweet! I hope you enjoy your time with your lovely sister. ♥

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  2. Thank you so much for this post, Hosanna. <33
    This is going to help a LOT of people in their relationships with their sisters. <3 =D(including me!! ;))
    Jaidyn Elise<33

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    1. Jaidyn, that made me so happy!! I really hope these ideas help you to have stronger relationships with your sisters. You have some really awesome sisters, you know. ;)

      Ariel mentioned that you would like to have a daycare? That is such a great endeavor! Little children can be a lot of fun, and what a way to make a difference in their lives! It would be hard and tiring at times, but if that is God's plan for you there's no better mission you could embark on. ♥

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  3. SHOOT I HAVEN'T COMMENTED ON HERE IN FOREVER. So--hiiiii. xD
    I really enjoyed this post. Not even kidding. It was awesome, and I love hearing about your family members! The tips you shared were amazing, and the importance of investing in your siblings is something that you've made very clear in a super well-written way!! I LOVED THIS POST SO MUUUUUUCH. <3333
    My sisters are quite the ambitious bunch--my older sister, Savannah, wants to be a published author, as you probably know. ;) Then Skylar wants to be a famous singer...she has an amazing voice. Seriously. <333 Jaidyn isn't quite sure what she wants to do yet--she's been into cooking lately, but she also wants to open her own daycare. She loves little kids! And we'll just have to see where the Lord takes Elaina!! We sisters have THE WEIRDEST inside jokes, we regularly laugh so hard that I have tears running down my face--we like to say our family is the funniest group of people we know. xD
    Your sisters sound like an amazing bunch. It is SO cool that a couple of them want to be missionaries--because that's where my heart is, too!!
    I think I am going to love my sisters this week by just spending more time with them--Jaidyn wants me, I'm sure, to film some cooking videos with her. Skylar and Savannah and I love to sing together--and Sky also has asked about doing piano lessons with me, so I'm sure it would make her day if I started practicing again! Please be praying for me, because I know some of this isn't going to be very easy. =\
    This post was great, Hosanna. Keep shining your light for Christ!!!
    -Ariel

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    1. hiiiiii to you too! xD

      Thank you!! Sister relationships can be hard sometimes, but I want to have ones that reflect Love. Sadly, that doesn't always happen. =( But I hope through this post I was able to encourage you...and reading your comments have encouraged me!

      I enjoyed hearing about your lovely sisters... Savannah, Ariel, Skylar, Jaidyn, Elaina...you all are the sweetest. (and your names are so pretty and unique!) I understand about those inside jokes too, hehe. =) Sisters can be such fun!

      Yay! I'm tickled that you've made practical steps towards loving your sisters! You go, girl. I'll have to ask you how it went next week. ;) (funny - I'm teaching my little sisters piano as well!) I'll be praying for you, and I hope you'll do the same for me.

      You too! Your words are so encouraging. ♥ (And I want to meet your family sometime...) =)

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  4. Great post!! I have three older sisters (one being older by four months). I consider them some of my best friends. I love going on "sister dates" with them. Sometimes if it's just watching a movie together or grabbing some Starbucks. :)
    Keep living for Jesus Hosanna!

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    1. Three older sisters? What fun! I am the oldest with three little sisters. ;) How wonderful that you can testify to being best friends with them. And yes, sister dates sure are fun! Your strong relationships are rare but beautiful treasures to have. ♥ What do you think has pulled you sisters together the most?

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    2. Well there is probably a lot. For instance, with each of my sisters there are different things we like to do together. We are all also sisters in Christ. With one of my sisters I like to get coffee with her and talk (or go to the beach). With another she's more like to have a photoshot with (she's a photographer) and go somewhere. With my other sister then we do random things. It's good to find things you have in common with your sisters, but also to branch out and sometimes do things that you don't exactly want to do.
      One of my sisters likes to work out and so I will with her sometimes ..... though I don't also want to ��.
      And yes, strong relationships are rare but beautiful. :)
      Keep living for Christ

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    3. Yes, you have to appreciate each person and their own unique talents and desires. =) I understand that because my sisters are the same way. One sister likes one thing while another sister might not.

      And, as you pointed out, that might mean that we have to do something we don't like. (exercising, hehe. I so understand!) Maybe that's when it counts most - when we make the extra effort to love.

      Thank you for sharing a peek into your beautiful family. ♥

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  5. Wow, this series Hosanna. God is working in your life, and it's so encouraging to see a glimpse of it. :)

    Thanks for the suggestions. I've recently been experiencing the blessing of going deeper with my sister (I have one sister), sharing struggles and deep thoughts, and praying together. It hasn't always been that way though. I still have a long way to go, but I want to encourage you: it's worth every minute of time and self sacrifice.

    I appreciated your note to older siblings though. That's me. :) It's such a responsibility, being an older sibling. We influence our sibling's future. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but God has put us there for a reason!

    Well, excuse my disjointed thoughts. I appreciate reading your thoughts! (And I'm looking forward to the post on brothers I presume is coming!) Stay strong in the Lord, and I'm excited to see Him working through you. xx

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    1. Jessica, I'll admit that I started this series more because I wanted deeper family relationships...not because God was pulling me in that area (though maybe He was guiding me through that desire?) Recently He has opened my eyes to areas I'm lacking in, and I now think I can say that He's working. I have the best family ever. But that doesn't mean that I always appreciate and treasure them.

      I love that! We're in similar places as oldest girls. Seeing how you are reaching out to Rachel is beautiful. And you're not just loving each other - you're becoming closer as sisters in Christ!! Thank you for your encouragement. ♥♥

      What? A post on brothers? How'd you know? xD But Jessica, thank YOU for encouraging me. That's partly why I wanted to share these posts: not just to encourage others but to hear from sisters in the faith who are steps ahead of me. Your words are always a blessing. How amazing that God brought us together for mutual encouragement. ♥ He is so, so good. ♥

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  6. What a great post, Hosanna!! I really enjoyed it. I have one older sister. I’ve been wanting to make sure that we are doing things together more. It can sometimes be hard with both of us heading in different directions each day, but I really want to make sure that I make time for quality time. :)

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    1. Yes Rebekah! If we want to have deep, Godly relationships with our siblings we have to make it a priority. Quality time is important. If we never talked to someone, how personal would that relationship be?

      In the same way, we have to prioritize our relationship with God. If we don't read His Word and focus on prayer and praise how will we ever truly know Him? Salvation is a Love story - God loved us. Now we love Him and others. ♥

      Let's grow in Love, Rebekah. =)

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