Wednesday, June 12, 2013

In a world where very little goes right, there will always be you.


Big sisters don’t often look up to their little sisters. I guess I am the exception, because you, my dear little sister are a challenge and an inspiration to me.

If we were the characters in Little Women, you would be Beth… hands down, you are Beth (whether you like it or not).

I say that because there has always been this kindness about you, a gentleness that draws people close and makes them want to stay a while. Maybe it’s because that’s what you do… you open your heart, welcome others inside, and keep them comfortable enough to relax, to take a breath, to rest.

In the same way, there has always been this beautiful trust and light about you. You see the world differently than most, and where others have to look for the beauty, it’s just there before you. For example, when you were little, you trusted that the squirrels would be kind enough to leave pecans for you to eat. You trusted that Cinnamon would one day be gentle enough to pet, even though the rest of us ran from her in her early puppy days. You are kind to the people I am afraid of, and your friendships have challenged my ways of thinking.

You have always been your own person, making no apologies, being yourself. Cowboy boots, beads around your head, red skinny jeans, leather jackets, really… whatever you want, you wear, and somehow you always look beautiful.

But really, you could wear a burlap sack and still be beautiful. That’s just who you are. Because your beauty on the outside is a reflection of who you are on the inside… fearfully and wonderfully made.

And really, my dear sister, you are one of my favorite people in the world, and you never fail to make me laugh. There are some moments that I can only share with you, and you always make me feel better when I am with you.

To your Beth, I will always be Meg… the “mother”, the nagger, the worrier, the one who just wants to protect you, because it’s not that I don’t trust you… I don’t trust the world. I want you to always be kind, trusting, gentle, seeing the beauty, and everything inside of me wield the Xena sword (or was it a frisbee?) to make sure no one ever tries to hurt you. The world needs more people like you.

And if the world had more of you… there would be more joy, more laughter, more silliness, more hugs, more time playing and less time worrying, less anger, less evil, more hope.

Unfortunately, there is only one you... so be you, please, and nothing else. Because the world needs you.

Don’t get me all wrong though, because although you are kind and gentle, you are also fierce, and sometimes terrifying, and thank God I have never had to be your opponent in an athletic competition. Because, girl, you are scary ("beastly" I believe is a word that has been used).

I don’t know when it happened, but all of the sudden, I blinked and you grew up. And I don’t want it to happen because I want you to always be little, and I want us to always be little… to never grow up.

But it happened… and today you are 20 years old.

I read this quote this morning, and it has really stuck with me:

“If you give God the right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you—and holy experiments always succeed”. (My Utmost for His Highest)

I know the word experiment tends to conjure images of operating tables and Frankenstein… at least it does for me.

But here is the thing sis, you are not your own. Your gifts, your talents, your beauty, they are not your own. You belong to Him. And really, you only have one thing you can offer Him... the right to yourself.

My prayer for you is that this will be the year when you discover Him more deeply and fully than you ever imagined possible. Pursue Him and follow His heart, knowing His arms are open and He delights in you. He doesn’t just tolerate you. Oh no, my love, He delights in you.

Delight in Him. Not so that He will give you the desires of your heart or because it feels good. Delight in Him because you belong to Him, you are treasured by Him, and in Him there is joy beyond measure.

Become a holy experiment… offer you heart and life, and watch in amazement as he takes you on this journey of an incredible life you could not have dreamed for yourself.

Will it be scary? Yes. Will it hurt? Sometimes… but dear sister, there will always be grace. And there will always be joy.

Because more than anything, the world needs you, being yourself, passionately pursuing His heart. And when you do that, dear sister, you will be incredible, a force with which to be reckoned. And that is a beauty and a joy that time, evil, heartache, could never destroy.




I love you so much, and I wish that I could be there in person to celebrate your special day with you.

You are my Bop, my Jen Jen, my Beth, and my heart. 

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