I Always Made My Sister Break Up With My Boyfriends

So i have a sister and she is the most out of this world girl i have ever met!  From the time she was born she was my built in best friend, my playmate, my partner in crime, my matchy-matchy in the ruffled dress, my harmonizer…MY GIRL!  It is also like THE best thing in the world that to this day we can play mad jokes on anyone who calls us on the phone, because we sound so much alike when we sing or talk.  Growing up this was so awesome, especially for me!

Let me introduce you to myself, i am totally, 100%, scared out of my mind to hurt someones feelings…maybe this was the innate pastoral heart God placed in me very young, or maybe it was the fact that i never wanted anyone to not like me (that my friends, is an entirely other post).  Whichever the two it happened to be, my sister Lisa…did not get either of those traits.  She is AWESOME!  The fact that she was younger and i could kinda boss her around probably helped too, lol.  In high school, she came to my rescue several times…i always made my sister break up with my boyfriends.  This happened on a home phone with a long chord, and i could pick up the other line and actually listen in? C’mon, you know what I’m talking about.  She sounded so much like me that no one ever knew…and she did it with such ease.  Lisa – my hero.

The problem is that i was always scared of the hard conversations.

Oh how many times i wish that i could hide behind the four walls of my parents home and have her pick up the phone and pretend she was me…but with growth, confrontation is inevitable.  The hard talks when swept under the carpet only become blockades that become impossible to get through when not had.  However, the hard talks, when love speaks, can be like the sword of the spirit, cutting when it goes in and healing when it comes out.

It’s a lot easier to talk about keeping it real than it is to engage in real conversations that bring about real change and connection.

Too often we avoid, dismiss, or ignore authentic conversation at all costs.  Maybe you sweat the hard talks with your family, your friends, or people you lead.  Communication is one of the most powerful tools for connection and growth.  Have the HARD TALKS!  My husband and i have adapted a covenant with one another over the years, “I may not understand but i can be understanding.”  We all have to challenge ourselves to growth…start today.  What talks have you been putting on the back burner that are about to boil over? Start there…and whatever you do, don’t have your sister break up with your boyfriend 🙂