Dear Littlest Sister,
I love you. I want you to know that, because it’s the most important thing in this letter. If you don’t understand anything else, please don’t forget that. I watched you grow up from a tiny little baby squirming on a blue phototherapy machine to a beautiful little grade schooler with a gorgeous imagination and an admirable love of life. You are amazing and beautiful, and I hope I can be with you for the years to come. It pains me that right now I’m far away. But I love you, and I will do everything I can to make sure you know that. I’ll start with these three bits of advice:
1. Follow Jesus.
Your friends are for now, but He is forever. Jesus loves you and died for you, and He will never abandon you. You will gain and lose friends as you grow up and your life changes, but you will never lose Him. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). If you follow Christ with your whole heart, he will be with you wherever you go. You will not always like the places God asks you to follow Him, sometimes they will hurt. Sometimes you will understand why they have to hurt, and sometimes you won’t. Don’t be discouraged. Thank God for what he has given you. Read the Bible. Pray. Remember His love.
2. Listen to Mom and Dad.
They know more than you. They want the best for you, and even though their way may seem less fun, the lessons you learn by obedience will be less painful than the alternative. Ephesians 6: 2-3 says “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first
commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you
may live long in the land.” People say, “Hindsight is 20/20.” I don’t want you to look back in five or ten years and think, “That was a bad decision. I wish I hadn’t made it.” Neither do Mom and Dad. They want you to look back and appreciate that they wanted to protect you and raise you to make good decisions. They want you to learn from your mistakes (and theirs!) and grow to be a better person. Remember that Mom and Dad can see consequences that you can’t. Even though you won’t be perfect (none of us are!), you will be okay because you are forever loved.
3. Be yourself.
This is the hardest part. People will come alongside you in life and try to mold you into mini versions of themselves. They will try to discourage you from pursuing your God-given talents. Don’t let them. God made you incredibly unique. He made you to stand out and to shine. Don’t fall into the lie that you have to fit in to be appreciated. Because you are loved, you can be weird. You can be unconventional when it’s the right thing to do. God wants you to follow him, to be His light in our broken world, but he won’t ask you to become a little Christian minion who thinks and looks the same as everyone else. Do your best not to worry, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
When you’re in the middle of those troubles of life, always remember this: I am your sister, and I am here for you, no matter how far away I might physically be. Talk to me, vent to me, tell me about exciting or upsetting things happening in your life, because they are important to me. I’m just a phone call or a message away.
Love,
Your Oldest Sister
