More often than ever before, they disappear for what seems like hours, their sweet voices chattering back and forth through the thin walls of our home.
How grateful I am that they stop occasionally to ask for directions.
Where is the snowfield, mama?
Just through the forest, take a right on the path it will lead you to the river.
Oh, ok.
Moments later the pitter-patter of pajama'd feet return to me and ask
But how do we cross the river?
Look for the bridge little ones, it is just a 1/4 mile or so up the path.
Oh, ok.
And hand in hand they run off again.
But for as much as love each other, they let me in. They ask for directions and often I find myself at the end of the rainbow seated at a tea party with them. And I love it. A glimpse of being let in-- in the years to come.
These sister-friends are starting young and we bathe their sisterhood in prayer, that our gracious Lord would lead them to be sisters in His Kingdom as well. I hear their voices as they tuck their babes into the disarray of piled blankets and pillows they call "bed" and together whisper prayers over their little ones. My heart lurches, praying that He is leading them already down that narrow path.
There is a third little one rolling and chatting at my feet and sooner than for what I am ready, she too will join their adventures.
One day there will be the pitter-patter of at least 6 pajama clad feet across my kitchen, en route for a land far away. And my heart soars thinking of the way they are not just flamily, but friends.
Weeks ago I pined with envy at these 4 precious souls who experience the word sister in every sense, wishing that I too had sisters to call my own.
In a response to my confession of envy, one sister replied:
For friends are really all we sisters are. Such a gift.
And that gift goes beyond being sisters in the physical sense and entwines others (like me!) with them, linked by a bond made through laughter, childbirth, motherhood, wife-ing, and friendship. And Him.
Those sister-hearts are entwined not just with one another, but with me and many, many other women whose lives intercept at the foot of the cross and who are made sisters in Him.
In my physical family I don't know the word sister but in His Kingdom, I have many.
And those are in fact the dearest sisters. Friends who are made sisters not just to share clothes and holidays and recipes but who are made to share eternity.
My prayer for our precious girls three, is that of Paul's for the Colossians', that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. That they would be knit together for eternity.
Being knit together in Christ is what makes sisters--family, and family--friends, and friends--sisters. So in the end, to be sister-sisters is my prayer for them. Sisters in every sense. Yes, sister-sisters indeed.
As the pitter-patter of pajama'd feet gives way to the graceful swishing of little skirts and in time the deep laughter of sister-sisters, I, as their mama will get to join them. Not as a sister-sister, but perhaps, as a mama-sister. Kingdom-sisters.
(Aren't the photos beautiful? Our sweet family moments were captured by a dear friend-sister. A true sister-sister to me!)
(((you)))
ReplyDeletelove you. love your girls- they are so precious, and so blessed!
xo