Mary and I were born 20 months apart, close sisters but opposites in many ways. Maybe that’s why we’ve had a good partnership all these years, since people often gravitate toward those who have what they lack. Strangely enough, though, after thinking through a decision in opposite ways, Mary and I often land in the same place.
Take clothes, for example. Our kids laugh at how often we turn up at family gatherings wearing near-identical outfits without any prior planning. Gift exchanges are often more like matching swaps, and this Valentine’s Day we sent each other identical sister-cards purchased in different stores at different times.
Maybe this kind of think-alike is true of most sister-combos. After all, we were raised in the same home by the same parents who used the same tactics on both of us. But maybe sisters think alike because their attachment over years of time has allowed them to become more alike, by watching each other and learning.
Scripture tells us we ought to hang out with people we admire and hope to emulate. Maybe sisters learn what to do and what not to do just by growing up together. The same can be true in long marriages, which is why couples who’ve been together 20 years or more have learned to dismiss the bad and imitate the good.
Spiritually speaking, all Christians are encouraged to become more like Christ. He’s our sibling-example, the one we should follow around and try to copy. Ephesians 4:15 advises us to do this, suggesting that each day we ought to be making small-but-steady progress.
None of us will have become enough like Christ to be ready for that momentous meeting face-to-face. It’s only through his gift of salvation that we’ll have that privilege at all. I have a hunch, though, that he’s going to commend the efforts we made (no matter how paltry) to think and act like him.
Mary and I enjoy thinking alike, but there’s one project we can’t undertake as sisters: singing duets. We like listening to the unique blend of synchronized sister-voices, but Mary’s and my only hope for that would be in the next world. Maybe Jesus will give us the ability to sing like other sister-groups, like the Andrews Sisters and the Lennon Sisters. We could be the Johnson sisters! Sounds like sweet harmony to me.
“Walk with the wise and become wise.” (Proverbs 13:20)
Mary’s prayer requests:
- Praise for Bervin’s patience. As Mary says, “It’s hard being cooped up in a hotel room this long when you’re healthy.”
- Praise for the live streaming of the Moody Church service this morning (Mary and Bervin’s home church), which was uplifting
- Pray about the sharp abdominal pains Mary has had throughout the weekend in her feeding tube area, that tomorrow’s hospital appointment with the “tube expert” will resolve the problem.
- Please continue to pray for weight gain.
