No doubt that word evokes different feelings and memories in everybody. Some may remember whispered secrets and giggling late into the night until Dad’s voice reverberated through the door, “That’s enough—time to sleep!” Others were the big sister, helping to dress and look after a smaller one until suddenly she had grown up and was old enough to become a friend. I’m sure many remember slammed doors and snarky fights—what sisterhood would be complete without a few of those? Maybe you don’t have any of those memories because you were an only child, but how you longed for a sister to giggle and whisper with! Being an only child is often lonely. Perhaps none of these feelings reflect your own because you did have sisters, but the relationships were painful and difficult.
When we call Sarah’s Tent a “sisterhood,” are these the kinds of relationships we’re talking about? Well, yes…but also, no.That we are a sisterhood is clear from Scripture—all who have believed in the name of Yeshua have been adopted into the family of Abraham, complete with sisters, fellow women of the faith. It is a precious sisterhood. Our mission at Sarah’s Tent is to foster relationships with one another that take the best from our natural families—the camaraderie, the laughter, the nurturing—but leave behind the dross.
In this Abrahamic family, none of us is an only child. Loneliness should be unheard of. And, yet, how many of us are lonely? This modern world, with all of its pressures, demands so much of women. We find ourselves pulled in too many directions—harried, exhausted, overwhelmed…alone. With each new burden we lift to carry alone, isolation becomes more complete, until one day we look up to find ourselves adrift on the sea with no land in sight. This is the condition which so many women have come to accept as normal and necessary. The truth, however, is that woman do not function well in isolation.
We need community.
We need each other.
We need sisters.
Sometimes we need to be the big sister, nurturing another along to maturity in the faith. Sometimes we need to be the younger sister, allowing another to build us up in the Lord. Sometimes we need another pair of hands to carry a heavy burden. Sometimes we just need a moment of unbridled laughter to put things in perspective. Always, we need to band together, working towards a common goal, laboring side by side. If we adopt this perspective, rejecting isolation in favor of community, we will find strength for the journey.
Finally, please take this last bit to heart—YOU are necessary to this sisterhood. You, specifically, have life experiences, wisdom, abilities, ideas, gifts. Without you, our sisterhood will be incomplete, lacking in some important area. We want to be a fully functioning body of sisters, complete in all parts, lacking nothing. Please see this as a gentle calling. If you are one of those women drifting out to sea, know that there is land in sight, and head this way. If you know of a sister who is drifting, pick up the rope and draw her to shore. We encourage you all to join us at our Sarah’s Tent gatherings, participate in coming workshops, and make yourselves available to the other women of this community so that there truly are no “only children” among us.Our first gathering will be on Saturday, March 22. We will have a light lunch, get to know each other, and learn from Pastor Kathleen about the beauty of sisterhood in Yeshua. We are full of joyful anticipation as we prepare for that special date, and look forward to seeing you there.
Shalom!
