Always sisters

Two better than one, because they have a good reward lot their labor. If they fall, one will lift up his companion, but woe to him who is alone when he falls; for he has no one to help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10)

A joint investment often has a better foundation and a better chance of success. If one partner succeeds, the other will share in the profits. If he fails, his partner can help him. And if there be three, they are all but invincible.

A couple of years ago, I started an organization called Always Sisters that emphasizes the true value of pure sisterhood and friendship. Do you rejoice when your sister excels? Are you genuinely happy when you see others doing well? Are your prayers all about you, or do you pray for your girlfriends too! What about your precious time and resources--are you willing to give of yourself to fulfill someone else's needs? Are you a true sister? Do you really know what a true sister is?

For a long time women have had a bad reputation of not getting along. I don't know when it actually started, but it's time for it to end. For Always Sisters, more than 2,500 young ladies came together to say, "Together we stand, divided we fall." We need each other and God created it that way. It's time to get reconnected to sisterhood because your life and other lives depend on it.

According to the dictionary, the word sister means "a woman or girl as she is related to the other children of her parents; friend who is like a sister; female fellow member of the same race, organization, etc."

Ladies, we are sisters in one big family--God's family. And as sisters, we have a responsibility to look out for each other. Young or old, God has placed sister(s) in your life for you to love, protect, pray for and support. Sisters build each other up, not tear the other down. They cover and comfort when you're hurting, never stab you in the back, and you can disagree while continuing to love each other.

Growing up, I had seven older brothers and two younger sisters. Being the first girl in my family, I can remember being so excited when I got my first sister-in-law, Vickie. Vickie was the first older sister I had. I could share things with her I couldn't share with my brothers. We talked about anything and laughed about everything. I was grateful for brothers, but having an older sister brought light to areas of my life that otherwise would have remained dark or unknown.

I have an incredible mother who has been there for me every step of the way. But God did not create mothers to be sisters to their daughters. A mother's role is quite different. We all need mothers, and we all need sisters. Always Sisters was created so that mature women, the older sisters, could pour love, wisdom and knowledge into the younger sisters so that younger sisters can learn what sisterhood is all about, and to teach the importance of women loving God, themselves and others.

It is time for the mothers and older sisters to slow down and take the time needed to save the younger generalion. In reaching out to our daughters and younger sisters, we pull them through whatever crisis and struggles they are experiencing whether living with AIDS, depression, low self-esteem, teenage pregnancy, or just in need of a friend. Today's youth, including our young sisters, desperately need our help to guide, instruct, listen, encourage, praise and love them until they're mature enough to make the right choices and live a victorious and successful life. If we all make a concerted effort to do our part, we can help to turn someone's dark moments into a bright future.

BY CECE WINANS

Grammy Award-Winning Recording Artist

COPYRIGHT 2007 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning