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Two summers ago, I met a girl named Sarah. Sarah is about a year and a half younger than me, loves the LORD, and is overall the kind of person everyone loves being around. She and I became friends practically overnight, which is such a blessing! Anyway, that summer I met her, people who saw us together at the summer camp we both went to kept asking if we were sisters (or at least related in some close way). This happened so often that we finally agreed to just say we really were sisters, just for fun. I personally don't think she and I look anything alike (except for our eyes, maybe), as she has blond hair and is tall and thin, and I have light brown hair, and though I'm tall, I'm bigger boned. Well, we both came to the conclusion that people probably assumed we were sisters because we were nearly always with each other, and we were obviously pretty close.Thirteen summers ago, I met a girl named Michaela Joy. Michaela is three years younger than me, loves the LORD, and loves to make people laugh. Everyone loves being around her. I can't remember a time when Michaela and I weren't friends, really. Of course, in all the time I've known her, we've had our arguments and squabbles, as well as an occasional outburst. But overall, we're pretty close. People tend to have one of two totally opposite reactions when they see us together: on the one hand, you have those who say that we look nothing alike (though upon closer inspection, say we do have the same nose =P ), then on the other hand there are those who insist we look like twins. Now, Michaela and I both emphatically agree that we look nothing like twins. We just look like sisters... because we are. =)
Now, I have to tell you, Kayla (Michaela) and I have grown even closer since the time that we met Sarah. We've always been closer than the average siblings, which I think is mainly due to the fact that we move on average every one and a half to two years, as well as the fact that we have two excellent parents who have worked with us and taught us to get along together. Unfortunately, though, at the time that I met Sarah, Kayla and I had grown apart quite a bit. I blame myself; a couple of friends that I had were extremely unloving in their words and actions toward their younger siblings, and that attitude had rubbed off on me to the point that I would allow myself to get easily aggravated and annoyed at Michaela. I would speak sarcastically and often rudely to her, and boss her around (often even more than is normal coming from an older sister). Looking back, I'm ashamed at my behavior, and I can't believe the bad example I was setting for my sister.
Back to Sarah. While up at the summer camp, after we'd decided on being "adopted" sisters, I began to think about the total difference in my behavior to Sarah and Kayla. Yes, it was good that I was treating Sarah like my best friend, and - as I put it even then - like my sister. But how did I treat my REAL sister? I treated her like a little girl who might get in my way, like someone I didn't want to be around, and definitely not the way I should be treating a sister. How sad is that? Fortunately, God used Sarah to show me how I needed to be toward Michaela, and through patience, hard work, lots of mistakes, and a TON of prayer, Kayla and I are back to being best friends; we're even closer than before!
This summer, I got to go to the summer camp ahead of my family, and Sarah and one of her brothers got to do the same. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my "sister," but I was overjoyed when, two weeks later, the rest of my family joined me, and I could renew my long chats with my sister. Now, Kayla and I still argue occasionally, but we're usually able to get over those silly little things that we're usually getting upset about.
I pray that God will continue working in and through me, so that I may become the best big sister I can possibly be to Michaela....
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