BY DAWN REED

My sister, Teri, is like medicine – a balm for the soul. I needed a good dose, so I threw my toothbrush and pajamas in a bag, then headed the 252 miles to Bowling Green for a day. Totally worth it.

There is a long time of hugging when we get together. Then we start talking as fast as we can to catch up.

We have been through some things. Some hard things. We survived growing up with an abusive stepfather. (One night she had to escape through a window to run to safety.) We have shared lots of fun times, beach vacations, summers at Norris Lake. Over the years, we raised kids together, built houses together, have done missions together, surrendered to ministry, and sold houses.

On Saturday morning, she and I sat at her kitchen island crying over the goodness of God. We knew He was good before CeCe Winans started singing the song. We told stories of how God had met needs over the years. Showed up with food on the doorstep. A box of shampoo when there was not a drop in the house, nor money to get some.

As we were reading our Bibles, we talked about what we were studying and how God had been speaking to us. It is so good to have those conversations. We both gave our hearts to Jesus on a brown-and-white couch in August of 1971. We were baptized together the next Sunday. She is not only my sister, but also my sister in Christ.

Our talk always turns to our mother, a spiritual giant and prayer warrior. We often ponder our great-grandmother, Edith Loftis, who began our family’s spiritual journey in the 1920s. Neither her husband nor their three sons cared to go to church, but she remained faithful. When she had a granddaughter (our mother) in the 1940s, she took her to church, where she promptly fell in love with Jesus and never got over it. Oh, how thankful we are for Mamaw Loftis.

Teri is such an encourager, like our mom. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders, but without the pom poms. Trust me. She would get pom poms if she thought I needed them.

Many moons ago, I wanted to be just like my sister, Teri. She was the pretty one, the cool one, the one who made a difference long before social media. Unfortunately, I cared more about being like her than being like Jesus. I had to learn that He did not want me to be a copy of her. He wanted me to be me and a copy of Him. The whole Jeremiah 29:11 thing is real. We have many things in common but are different – on purpose.

During the 24 hours I was with her, we retold stories, laughed until we could not breathe (trying not to wet our britches), and were not coherent at times. Her husband said, “You all don’t even make sense.” We went on and on about VBS because we are both fully immersed in it this week. And then at our age, talk turns to our health. (Our bloodwork numbers are nearly identical.)

What to learn from this gushing about my sister?

• You do not have to be a “Teri.” You are His masterpiece, Ephesians 2:10. He does not wish you were someone else. Be who God made you to be.
• Be an encourager. In this day and time, it is more important than ever. You can make an impact right where you are.
• Remember what God has done.
• Laugh every chance you get.

I headed home after the too-short visit, smiling for miles. Thankful for the laughs and love.

Dawn Reed is a newspaper columnist and pastor’s wife in Prestonsburg.