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.”
I love this!!!! Exactly what God has laid on my heart for this next year – I am currently a part of a women’s business group and we refer ourselves as “sisters”. God has been tugging on my heart for a Christian women’s group for spiritual, personal and business empowerment. Reading this just confirms it more, to be intentional in sistering!! Thanks for sharing – God Bless!!
Hello Christy! I am so happy the post was inspirational for you and thank you for the encouragement. I do believe sistering is so important certainly for personal and business development, healthy development.
All the best,
Robin
I sure do love the concept of “sistering!” It sounds like we should be blogging friends… my mornings sound similar and are just as sacred to me! I would love to have you read my post from today: Words and Wings: A Revolution at https://awordthatmatters.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/wings-and-words-a-revolution/. It is about practically turning November into not just the month of gratitude but of encouragement. I hope to see you there! Blessings and enjoy your extra hour!!
Hello Lesley, Thank you for the encouragement! I look forward to reading your blog post. Please keep in touch! I will be in touch shortly.
All the best,
Robin
This is so powerful! Thank you so much for sharing your heart! It has encouraged me to do more intentional “sistering” myself!!!
Hello Kristen and thank you for commenting. I believe we all need sistering and it is reciprocal, yes? There are days that I am in need of the support and there are days my fellow sisters in Christ are in need of encouragement and support. Thank you for your encouragement and commenting on my post!
All the best,
Robin