My Sisterhood

In high school, I learnt a whole lot about people and the world. I can honestly say that I loved my experiences in my teenage years but I’d be lying if I said it was easy. My life really did turn upside down and I unfortunately experienced betrayal on more than one occasion. Those who I trusted did me wrong and I carried that principality around with me into my twenties. A principality is the root of something – in this case, sin.  It was easy for me to trust people but hard to forgive them once they hurt me. This is because I experienced hurt from the people I trusted most. These negative experiences when it came to building relationships caused me to build up walls of bitterness and resentment towards people who had perfectly good intentions in my life. Then, somewhere, seemingly out of nowhere, I met my sisterhood. Back then I didn’t recognize or even imagine the impact they would have in my life but as I reflected the other day, I realized I have never publicly affirmed their influence in my life and so here I am today.

“Each friendship represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born” -Anaïs Nin. As the saying goes, it takes a village! Mine is made up of four very exceptional women who have inspired growth in me. To love harder, to forgive quicker, and to be a better person. These girls are like the gum on the bottom of your shoe that you just can’t get off. No matter what, they stick around. We tolerate each other and roast each other, but we also pray for each other and carry each other’s burdens and laugh A LOT together.

For my birthday, my sisterhood got me a book by Bobbie Houston which is appropriately titled “The Sisterhood.” This book is Bobbie’s vision for this generation of women in 256 short pages. It details her journey to the women’s ministry and sisterhood she now has today. This book is nothing short of inspiring because it empowers women to rise up and take their place as the bride of Christ. Even in this world where the adversary so wants to put down women and minimize their importance, we as women need to catch on to the vision of God for our lives and walk in the purpose He has for us as daughter troops, as princess warriors, as strong and submissive women and as world-changers. But most importantly, for us as women to weave ourselves together into a strand of unity that would draw forth the blessing of God. Psalm 133 says:

^1-3 How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.

So to my sisters, I give you these words from Bobbie Houston which speak my heart…

True friendship is uncomplicated. It may not be perfect, but if it is pure in spirit it will allow for the ebb and flow of life. It’s generous, encouraging and never competitive. It’s not easily threatened and leaps to the defense or protection of those whom it is loyal. It remains faithful in all seasons, is tested with the passage of time, and always finds grace to forgive when forgiveness is needed. It believes the best of one another and is undaunted when distance or busyness of life creates a widening space between that last coffee or shared giggle and the present.

I say all this to say that true friendship does exist. God desires for us to be in community and relationships with other people. He has said, "where two or more are gathered, I'm there," because He doesn't want us to be exclusive (Matthew 18:20). And truly, everything does work together for our good. God requires us to have a broken and contrite heart if we come before Him and want to be used by Him (Psalm 51:16-17). You can't walk with God if your heart has not been broken (Isaiah 66:3-4). If I hadn't experienced that heart break and healed from it, I wouldn't have of been able to appreciate the good God was doing in my life and the special people He was introducing me to. We shouldn't allow what happened in the past to dictate our future. And understand that beautiful things can come out of our most painful moments. 

Cheers to true friendships, vulnerability and trust.

Elena Asks.