My Sister's Keeper

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

My family and I have been blessed recently to rejoin the YMCA after a two year hiatus. I love this little time of refreshment for myself where I know the kids are cared for, and I can work out a little mommy steam uninterrupted. That is….until my little guy started having an issue at the Y. My oldest son and my daughter were having a blast, but my little guy would dread going, and he started saying “NO” to his teachers at the gym. I asked my oldest Doodlebug what was going on, and to my surprise, he was oblivious. He had no clue what the issue was, so I probed a little deeper. I wanted to know who his brother was playing with, if he was making friends, etc. After further investigation, it seemed that my oldest son was off playing with his friends, and my sweet little daughter was enjoying some much needed company with other little girls.

That’s when it dawned on me; my little guy needed friends of his own at the Y. We as a family needed to pray for that. BUT until then, I gave my oldest Doodlebug a mission: YOU are to be your brother’s best friend, include him, and help him make new friends. Our little guy needed to know he had a place to belong, and we needed to let him know that he ALWAYS belongs in this family. (As a side note, I am totally not blaming his discipline issues completely on not having a friend. My husband and I have to be very consistent, firm, yet gentle to enforce the rules. But we needed to play offense and defense so to speak to tackle this issue.)

The truth is the body of Christ should operate in the same way. We need to encourage each other. Three easy ways we can show our love for Christ and each other are:

1. Affirming each other with kind and encouraging words. Not empty flattery, but sincere praise. If you see something beautiful in another sister, let her know.
2. Time well spent—maybe a play date or a quick BYOL (Bring your own lunch) at the park while the kids play would provide the refreshment you and another mom (and your kids) need.
3. Prayer. Let’s make a habit of praying with each other. It’s great to let someone know you’ll be praying for them. It’s even better to stop right then and pray with them.

On the other hand, godly encouragement can also take the form of admonishment. Maybe a little truth in love is what is needed. Maybe that sister needs to hear a loving, “Stop doing that because that is sinful and will end up hurting you and the ones you love.” I’ll be honest; sometimes we all need to hear that kind of truth in love. In the earlier example, I had to encourage my older son to do that for his little brother. Please, help that boy stay out of trouble. LOL J

When it comes down to it, in the body of Christ, WE ARE OUR SISTER’S KEEPER.

Have a blessed day in the Lord, my friend,

Teresa

Verses to ponder:

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2