Today, Beth and I were “doing lunch” at my favorite Cool Springs restaurant, when all of a sudden I felt inclined to take her picture.
As we continued to finish our lunch, I felt a strong tug of the Spirit saying to me, “She’s a picture of integrity.” As I shared with her what the Lord had spoken to me, I started to cry.
If you have been reading my writings for a while, you have heard me talk about my baby sister. The reason I call Beth my “baby sister” is because I am twelve years older. She was the long awaited second child. When I was twelve, all Beth was to me was a lot of extra work. I can still remember hanging her diapers on the clothes line—day after day—and babysitting. I couldn’t understand why having a sibling was such a good idea, nor was I particularly excited about her arrival. I had been the only child for a long time, and I was not thrilled about having a baby in the house.
By the time she was five, I headed off to college, then Memphis to live, and within a few years married. I did not return home until I was twenty-five, and by then she was in her early teens.
We loved each other, but really didn’t know each other, nor particularly care! It was not until years later that we finally connected as sisters.
We both had gone through years of sorrow and loss, and in the middle of grief, we discovered a wonderful relationship. Due to our age difference, we had to fight for the treasure of what we have today. We grew up in two “different” families—my parents cut me no slack about anything, and her parents loved and adored everything she did. By the time I could understand these aggravating family dynamics, it did not matter anymore.
Through the years, Beth has become one of the most beautiful people I know. She is lovely in person, but more lovely in spirit and soul. She is a lady of absolute integrity. You can trust what she says to be honest and true.
She is not easily swayed to believe a lie and get caught up in foolish things. Beth is a woman of Scripture, and walks steady, holding His hand on the arduous narrow path that leads to life eternal. She is my friend and is always there to love and encourage me, and speak hard truth when I need to hear it.
She has always been a hard worker, diligent, dependable, compassionate, a doer of good works, faithful, an awesome cook, and a loving family member.
Being the older sister, I could have missed this amazing gift from God if I had not been willing to fight for our relationship, and press in until we had one.
I encourage you to fight for special relationships within your own family. Sometimes we have treasures that need to be unearthed, cultivated, and watered with love. Some of our greatest blessings can be those closest to us, and yet we may not even know!
If you have enjoyed this writing, please go to my blog site and subscribe at drbrendaramboauthor.com. Comments and conversation are welcome.
You can also purchase Whispers of the Spirit, a devotional book, at this website or you can find the book on Amazon. A Kindle version is also available on Amazon. Did you know that even if you do not have a Kindle, you can download a Kindle app for your PC, smartphone or tablet? Go to Amazon and search Kindle app and download the appropriate one for you.
