sista, sistaaa

never knew how much i missed ya. 
anyone?

moving on.


the word "sister" bears many sweet meanings for me. for one, God has blessed me with a sister in the literal sense of the word through blood that i am so incredibly grateful for. i've looked up to her since i can remember and she is a beautiful picture of a solid, godly woman, wife and momma that i hope i get the privilege to live up to some day.

then, there's the four years of college that i spent with 150+ sisters in my sorority. we walked through those fun and crazy years together and lovingly (most of the time) referred to each other as "sisters". we even went through an initiation to welcome new sisters "into the bonds". after that night of ceremonies and rituals that hundreds of women went through before us and will go through after us, we were officially "sisters" and a part of a family.

there are also a few friends that i regard as sisters based on the length, depth and intimacy of our friendship. they're my family and i adoringly name them as such.

then, there's my favorite definition of this sweet word: sisters in Christ.


scripture refers to us being brothers, sisters and one body in Christ multiple times.

Matthew 12:50 "for whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister..."

Romans 12:5 "so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

1 John 4:7 "beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."

Galatians 3:28 "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 12:27 "now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."

i think about what this means in terms of being in relationship with other believers and followers of Christ. these relationships are different for many reasons. first, we hold the same treasure in our hearts that binds us to one another spiritually. i often find that my friendships with girls who are fellow believers are deeper, richer and more secure in comparison to those who are not. we share a common hope, belief and passion in life. i think about them not just being friends but being my actual sister. we have the same Father and we are part of the same family... the only family that really matters (matthew 12:50). i refer back to my own sister and think about our relationship. it hasn't always been a pretty one. way back when i was the bratty little sister who ransacked her closet, interrupted her time with friends and screamed and cried whenever i didn't get what i wanted from her. we are 8 years apart and the age difference often made it hard to relate to each other. for a while, we just plain did not get along. but at the end of the day, we're sisters. part of the same family and stuck with each other for life. (love you, M!)

people hold many different types of relationships with their sisters. some are best friends. some absolutely love spending time together. some have so many differences they don't even regard them as family. some just drive the other up the wall and wonder how on earth they could be related. some have no relationship whatsoever. but at the end of the day, each one of these girls hold a bond that can never break no matter how hard we may try. they're sisters and thats that.

as sisters in Christ, we, too, hold this bond with one another. no, we may not be blood related and our age difference may be so drastic that on an earthly level there is just no way it's possible but, we are indeed family. we may not for sure won't all get along (we are women and human, after all). we may have very different relationships with each other. some may be more of a relationship in contrast to a friendship. some may mentor us, lead us, teach us or raise us. some may be our best friends and even our actual sisters. but we all have a duty to love each other, encourage, pursue, embrace and lift up each other in Christ as a family of believers and daughters of the King. shifting our perspective from viewing each other as "friends" who may annoy us, hurt us, betray us and slap us in the face or who may come and go to viewing each other as sisters in Christ who are broken sinners just like ourselves but are our family nonetheless will change our hearts towards each other. grace enters the scene and in the end, the family of God grows, deepens and reflects the love of Jesus.

i think about all the women that hold this place in my life. many i have only walked 4 short months with while others have been with me since middle school. some i have friendships with and have yet to meet and many i never will meet until that glorious day when we all go home! my sisters teach me, love me, encourage me, listen to me, counsel me, pour truth into me and simply spend time with me. we all have the same Father whom we love and adore and that beautiful common thread links us each together as one.

to all my sista's out there, i love each and every one of you. the ones i have met, know and live life with and the one's i get the gift of meeting on this side of heaven. each and every one of you are appreciated, cherished and loved! let's embrace each other, love on each other and enjoy the big, diverse and beautiful family God's provided us with!

Anonymous –   – (April 19, 2013 at 11:11 AM)  

this is so sweet Mary! Community is a beautiful thing.

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