FALL BACK: TIME TO INVEST IN SISTERING

 

Are you ready to “fall back”? Time’s a changing, and I hope you are ready! Annual Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at exactly 2:00 am on Sunday, Nov 6, 2016. Clocks go backward an hour, which will change the time to 1:00 am. Rise and shine, because the mornings will get lighter and the evenings darker for folks in the U.S.A. For me, fall translates to an earlier rising, and I am so excited.

Making the Most of My Hour

Each year my husband tolerates my excitement as I “gain” an hour each morning. I love to rise early and spend the morning hours in reflection. I light a candle, pour myself a cup of coffee, and open my devotional and my Bible in preparation for studying God’s word. TAG Time is a cherished morning ritual for me.

Although I wake up early throughout the year, I rise extra early when the clocks are set back. I already have a list of things I want to do with my extra hour, which includes walking earlier in the morning and catching up on my reading – Sisterhood and Unashamed are at the top of my reading list!

Time is precious to me. My TAG time (Time Alone with God) is sacred. As the holidays approach, my Day Designer is filling up with lunches, meetings, events, and family time, so I am grateful for the extra time DST will allow me in the morning.

Reaching Out to My Sisters

I will also use this time to reach out to my “sisters” and offer support and encouragement. I was inspired to invest in my sisters after attending a fall event. The LIFT Team (Ladies In Fellowship Together) hosted a fall luncheon. I had an amazing time. The speaker, Dawn Ford, founder of Infinite Love Ministries, was remarkable! If you have a moment, I encourage you to check out her website at www.infiniteloveministries.org.

What inspired me most about Dawn’s story was her portrayal of “sistering” and the importance of “sistering” one another.

What is Sistering?

Sistering is a term used by contractors in the renovation process. Sistering is the reinforcement of a structural member (a piece of wood such as a floor joist) by nailing or attaching a stronger piece of wood to a weaker one. This act of sistering a floor joist is done by attaching a stronger piece of wood to each side of the weaker floor joist and anchoring the stronger pieces of wood on each end. I’m not a contractor, but I hope I described the definition of sistering well enough to give you a glimpse of the importance of sistering one another.

Dawn used the example of Martha and Mary. They sistered one another by offering support and encouragement. As I listened to Dawn’s story of sistering in her life, I reflected on the many times in my life where my girlfriends came along to sister me. They anchored me in their love and support, allowing me to lean on them in a time of need.

“INVEST” in The Women You Sister To

How do we sister? We INVEST:

• Intentional – Listen and be intentional. How can I pray for you? What do you need at this time?
• Nurturing – Support, protect and nourish the sister in need.
• Viable – surviving under extreme conditions, and Vulnerable – which means putting yourself out there and exposing yourself.
• Existent – Show up and be present! Whose life do you need to show up for?
• Scary – It may be scary to put ourselves out there but do it anyway.
• Totally Anchored – It’s hard to sister if we are not completely anchored in the Lord.

Are you ready to INVEST in a sister through sistering? Let’s anchor one another in love and support. Be intentional because you never know who is in need of encouragement. Let’s challenge one another to show up for a sister today!

1 Thessalonians 5:11, “That’s why you must encourage and help each other, just as you are already doing.”