I am the oldest girl in my family, the big sister. (Parenthetically, I’m convinced this is why I don’t know how to do my hair or makeup. Where was my big sister when I needed to learn these vital skills???)

I am truly myself when I’m with my sisters. There’s no filter, no need to impress, no need to hide, no need to explain myself. And the laughing! We’re like a pack of hyenas. It’s really quite disturbing (for everyone else).

Today I need to talk about Jill. She’s the middle girl, the one with The Voice, the worship leader, the youth leader, the kick-A nurse (I can’t believe I just wrote that), and the funniest person I know. Jill is the one who came over to watch Beauty and the Beast with me when Brad gave me the blu-ray (straight out of the vault, people). We turned on the sing-along version and if you think we didn’t dance around my living room and sing along to all the songs, you are dreaming.

But the thing to know about Jill is that she’s my hero, and not because she persuaded me to go see Dolly Parton* with her in concert even though I hate country music though it wound up being one of the most memorable and moving performances of my life. It’s because Jill is the seer and lover of the outcast. She feels and shows Christ’s love and compassion to all the people who get left out, left behind, and are difficult to love. She finds the wounded and patiently speaks truth to them.

She doesn’t just seek the Lord. She hungers for Him. She chases Him and stubbornly won’t stop going after His promises.When I look at her, I see Christ. She’d say that’s a lie, but she’d be the only one.

I look up to her so much. Her devotion, her struggles, and her strength point me to our shared Savior. When I think that someday, she and I will dance and sing around His throne as sisters and daughters of God (and you know we’ll slip a little “Be our Guest” in there), I could weep.

Anyway, all this to say–remember when I wrote this about bitterness? Jill did it much better. Thank you, little sister, for showing me again what true humility, brokenness, and victory looks like.

I have so many excellent photos of us together, I don’t even know where to begin. These are just from my youngest sister’s baby shower. Wait. Y’all read that again: My sister is having a BABY! And you can see her bump in the photo of all three of us below. That bump is everything that is good and right in the world.

Jessie, me, Jill (all with our best did you take the photo yet? face)

* Jill and I are going to go see the Dolly Parton movie Joyful Noise tonight because it has everything we love: Singing, choirs, gospel music (we hope), and Dolly. DOLLY.

P.S. We do have an older brother, too. But he’s single and so good-looking that posting his photo would be inviting far more readers than I’m capable of handling this weekend. So ladies, all in good time.

P.P.S. How my sisters learned to be so pretty with their hair and makeup is beyond me, since clearly I didn’t teach them.

P.P.P.S. Things have been so deep around here lately, no? I’ll work on another riveting book review. Or something.