Many of us are blessed to have a sister or sisters in our lives. God blessed me with a sister who has been with me through every dark time of our lives. Maybe you have a sister you’re really close to or a sister who has stood by your side even when it’s hard. While some sibling relationships can be extremely difficult, which I know all too well, other sibling relationships are beautiful blessings.
1. Staying by Your Side
I’m the youngest of three girls, yet my middle sister and myself were always closest to one another. If you have a sibling, maybe you know how close a bond can grow over the years.
My sister and I have gone through many difficult times, and we are presently going through an ongoing problem that hasn't been resolved in nearly two decades. During these times, I am especially grateful for my sister.
Through the tough times of being bullied in public school to the death of our beloved dog and the death of our mother, my sister and I have always been close.
Similar to many siblings, we have been through a lot together. My sister and I are Irish twins because we were born 10 months apart. The closeness in our age may have also contributed to how we became not only sisters but also best friends.
Together my sister and I had to go through the pain of medical diagnoses of family members as well as seeing the deteriorating health of our mother. All of these things can weigh heavy on anyone’s heart and mind.
It is not surprising for any of these things to cause us to collapse under the pressure of it all. I know, personally, I was only able to go through these hard times with the help of God and my sister. Without the support of God and my sister, the feelings of being overwhelmed, fear, and depression would have become too much.
No matter what we have gone through, my sister has always remained by my side. God blessed me greatly when he gave me a sister as great as mine. After the death of our family dog in early 2016, my sister became severely depressed.
Our family dog was her best friend, and our dog was there for my sister through everything. I knew how much my sister loved our family dog, but I never knew how much our lives would change without our sweet little dog.
The death of our dog was only the beginning of tragedy after tragedy. After our dog passed away, my sister became more reserved and didn’t have the same free spirit she had before. Depression had crept into her heart, and it was something I couldn’t heal for her.
Seeing my sister in this way broke my heart. While my sister has been working on healing, the absence of our furry little dog still creeps into all of our hearts and minds, and we all miss her dearly.
What we didn’t know was that our dog's death was the beginning of one of the most difficult and tragic years. In the spring of 2016, our oldest sister went through many mental health difficulties and has never fully recovered, even six years later.
My Irish twin sister and I started to learn many things that we never wanted to know and went to floors of the hospital we never wanted to travel to. This traumatic event still stays with us, and we are often reminded of the difficulties of taking care of someone who has pronounced mental health illnesses.
2. Leaning on Them During Difficult Times
I started college in late August of 2016, while my sister had already completed a few semesters before me. Within the first semester of college, our mother was deathly sick in the hospital due to congestive heart failure. She was in the hospital for 10 days in the ICU before she passed away.
My family and I visited mom multiple times each day in the ICU. In 2016, only two family members were allowed at a time to visit the patient, so naturally, my sister and I went back before my dad, and oldest sister saw our mom.
If you have been in the ICU, you know how emotional it can be. At only 18 years old, it was traumatizing to see my mother in such a deathly state. She was hooked up to a machine to keep her heart beating, she was on oxygen, and she had a tube feed.
My mother woke up while my sister and I were in the room, and it gave me deep sorrow to see the fear in my mother’s eyes. She gripped my hand, and she was so strong. All I wanted to do was to save her somehow — to make all the problems go away, but I couldn’t.
My family and I continued to visit mom every day, multiple times a day in the hospital, and it was always my Irish twin sister and me who were together during these difficult times. Despite the efforts of the hospital, my mother passed exactly 10 days after being admitted.
My mom was young — she was only 45 years old when she passed away. It pains me to think of all that she will never experience on this earth and all of the memories that I will never make with her now.
Maybe you have been through something similar, and you had someone to lean on. For me, these individuals were God and my sister.
Life has never been the same since 2016, but I feel my sister, and I have grown closer through these difficult seasons of life. It would be erroneous to say that time has completely healed the pain since 2016 because it hasn’t.
However, knowing my sister has been with me through it all has helped me not feel so alone. There is something comforting to know that you are not as alone as you once thought.
Whenever we become crestfallen or upset over a memory or a thought, we can both understand each other better because we were there with each other during these tragedies.
3. Always Supportive
Through college, my sister and I remained close, and we are still close right up to this present day. I had to go through an anorexia recovery from 2020 up until the present year, and my sister has been by my side through every step of the journey.
It has been extremely hard and filled with ups and downs, but my sister has always extended love to me even when I didn’t deserve it. In this way, my sister was showing me the love of Christ in her actions.
If you’re knowledgeable about eating disorders, you know how difficult they can be and how much the person who is struggling with the eating disorder can push others away. Despite pushing others away, my sister still encouraged me and stuck by my side.
For this, I am eternally grateful because everyone else left my side. It is through the hard times and the struggles that those who truly love us shine. My sister has been a true blessing in my life, and I couldn’t imagine not having her in my life.
Today, make sure to help your sibling or siblings know how much you appreciate them. Even though some siblings may be difficult to be around, there is normally a sibling who is not only your sibling but also your best friend.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean to Be in the Family of God?
What Is the Importance of Having a Spiritual Family?
What Is the Significance of Siblings in the Bible?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/DGLimages
Vivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.