SISTERS

How good and pleasant it is when brothers [sisters] live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head... Psalm 133:1 Here in Manila there is a massage that they do where they very slowly pour warm oil on the middle of your forehead and it runs down onto the side of your head and in your scalp. It is the most marvelous feeling. Then they very gently massage your head and your scalp. It is the most comforting, relaxing feeling, really seeming to wash away some of the cares of the world. Now I know a massage will only do that temporarily, that laying them at the feet of Jesus is the real "relaxer" for wordly cares, but I will tell you that a hot oil head massage does help in the stress of everyday living in the battle! You know, because of our depraved natures, we are not always going to live together in unity. In fact, it can sometimes be a lot of hard work to live together in unity. This week I had a bump in the road with one of my spiritual sisters. We definitely weren't unified and we had been hurtful to one another. Instead of feeling like there was warm oil dripping over my head I had more the feeling of a clanging gong that I couldn't get rid of; I was restless, anxious and just down right stricken. I was in my mind, busy defending my position and my rights. But the Lord is so good to us, He won't let us stay there if we are committed to Him and committed to one another. We were able to sit down this morning and talk through our differences and talk through our hurts and ask each other for forgiveness for our own sins in the matter. It wasn't always easy, but by God's grace He allowed us each to see our waywardness and to see the good in the other. Really, that is what sisterhood is all about - not that you will always be lovey-dovey, but that you are committed to one another through the good, the bad and the ugly!! Just as the Lord is committed to us through the bad and the ugly (I don't think there is ANY good on our part!) So now we can go on pushing forward in whatever comes up as we work together, knowing that we have weathered a storm and come out on the other side with our relationship even stronger because we have done the hard work (by God's grace) of being committed to love one another. God is good!!