By Gabriella Kolarsky
Growing up, I had two wonderful sisters who were close to me in age and many girl friends. I thought I knew what sisterhood was because I had multiple women around me, right? Wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a great relationship with both of my sisters, and we were always around each other, so it was easy to love them and to be around them. My friends were always fun, so I always found myself laughing when I was with them. I had incredible relationships with all these women, but I was rooting those relationships in the wrong places. I had this idea of sisterhood in my head that it was the people you had the most fun with… and that was it.
About seven months ago after I graduated high school, I joined NET Ministries, and since then, I have learned so much about sisterhood. I have discovered that yes, sisterhood does mean laughing and having fun. But what I didn’t know is that sisterhood is also about being there for each other–being a shoulder to cry on, actually caring about them and their lives, calling them on and striving for holiness and sainthood together. And most importantly, it means vulnerability. Yes, vulnerability is scary, I know. It’s still scary for me. Opening yourself up to the possibility of being hurt or judged isn’t very appealing, but I have learned that being vulnerable with one another is one of the most important aspects of sisterhood (besides having Christ be the center of it).
Sisterhood is about being there for a sister when she is having a really hard time–but how are you going to do that when you don’t know what they are going through? Sisterhood is about loving even when it’s hard to, running to heaven with one another, and picking the other up when she falls.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
True friendship and sisterhood is crucial if you want to strive to be a saint. We can help one another get back up. God has blessed me so much with the opportunity to experience what true sisterhood is. I am so thankful for all of my sisters in Christ and how they have been a witness of Christ’s love to me. The Lord’s love within sisterhood is so pivotal! I know that in our society today we are told so often that love is a feeling, that love should be easy or it’s not worth it. Wrong. Love is a choice. Love is a million times more beautiful when it is hard, when you have to fight for the other person. That is real love. Christ is the perfect example of that; He didn’t have to become man and die for us. That was in no way easy, and yet He did it–because He loves us. I encourage all of you reading this to really dive deeper in your relationships, to be vulnerable. Take a chance, love when it’s not easy, and show Christ’s light to others.
Born Dignified 