She and I are just thirteen months apart. She is a wonderful person, my first choice for a babysitter and one of my dearest friends. But I am not exaggerating when I say the road to us getting to this place was totally on God.
Christi and I could not stand each other growing up. I mean, we loved each other, of course, but also drove each other crazy in only the way that two people living together day in and day out can do.
She hated to share and has a fear of catching pink eye from shared hand towels.
I used her hand towel and insisted on borrowing her clothes regularly.
She took the long way home and made me listen to loud country music on the afternoons when it was her turn to drive us home from school and she played her clarinet loudly in the house.
I used all of her stuffed animals in a bungee jumping exhibition off the game room banister.
She made fun of me in front of our cousins.
I called her Fruity Marshmallow Christi and had a little song and dance to go with it.
The turning point for us was college. Christi had already been at TCU for a year before me when I decided to attend as well. Neither of us could frankly believe I had chosen the same college as my older sister when all I had ever wanted was space of my own. We were placed in the same dorm, right down the hall from each other, my freshman year. Not only would we be on the same campus but in the same building! But beauty out of ashes....
We started to see each other for who we were instead of picking on each others flaws and a friendship formed. I'm sure it helped that we no longer had to share a bathroom. But we accepted God's grace for each other and He made something beautiful out of it. One time I snuck into her room and took everything but her bed and desk and hid it down the hall. Not only did I touch her stuff, but I moved it! I was shocked when she thought it was funny!
Christi and I still have our days. I know how much she hates change and so I regularly suggest she get a new hairstyle just to see if it will make her anxiety level increase. She asks one million medical questions any time one of us has a cold. But, oh what we would be missing out on right now if we hadn't let God's grace in. We're not meant to best buddies with everyone on the planet. I truly think there are some personalities I'll just never make it past. But if you believe that God created you fearfully and wonderfully and for His purpose (and you should), you should believe that about the person next to you, too. I'm not talking about forgiveness necessarily. That's a whole other topic. I'm just talking about giving yourself the chance to see someone as God loves them, annoying tics and all.
Is there a relationship in your life right now you need to let God's grace in on? It's a new year right? Let it in.
XOXO....Kelly
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