who loves her sister (by birth or by choice)

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

TWO OF THE WOMEN WE SEE MOST in the Gospels are Martha and Mary, the sisters from Bethany. We’ve spoken about them a few times already, but now we want to focus on an important aspect of their relationship: They stuck together.

They were together when Jesus came to their home for a visit. They sought the Lord together when their brother was sick. They both approached Jesus when He came after their brother’s death. Mary and Martha were a pair.

We love that we can see the many parts of these sisters’ lives. We watch them rejoicing, struggling, and ugly crying. We can imagine the stress of hosting Jesus and His entire company. We can imagine the shared grief after their brother’s death. And we can almost hear the two women yell for joy when Lazarus came back to life.

Through it all, they had each other. They were just like us, only they lived about two thousand years ago. From their relationship, we can see that being sisters is much the same across the ages. Being a woman whom another calls her sister is a gift.

Not all of us are born into families with a Mary for our Martha or a Martha for our Mary. Not all of us grow alongside women who know our stories or share our history. But the Gospels introduce us to other female followers of Jesus—women like Joanna, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of Jesus—who became like family to Mary and Martha. These women weren’t sisters by blood, but they were sisters by choice. They shared a common story of following Jesus throughout His ministry and being a part of His family.

Tonight we want you to pause for a moment and think about the sisters of your story. Think about the women who have shared in your grief, celebrated in your joy, held you in your suffering, and carried you with their own strength. And then pause and think about the sister you have been to others.

Tonight we pray for the momma who loves her sister, whether they’re connected by birth or by choice. Father, they have been through happy times, sad times, and difficult times together, and they still love each other. May they hold one another up in prayer tonight. We ask for a special blessing on each one. Bless them and their families with peace, joy, and strength.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Lord, I thank You for ___________________, my sister by birth or choice who gets me and gives so much of herself to me.