{Dear littlest sister}

Watching you grow up has been a joy. I love your smile, your laugh, your snuggles, your eyes, your sweet "I love you's", your bed head, your crazy antics, your energy, your wit, the conversations we carry on late at night in the kitchen...

I love you, now and forever.

And I wish you would stay this little forever. I wish time would pause, and you would be 4 and 1/2 for the rest of time. I want to be able to keep you from all the darkness this world offers, I want to shelter you from hatred and hurt, I want to shield your innocent eyes from the filth of sin that consumes this world. 

I want to protect you from the unattainable standards this culture puts on us to be "perfect". I want you to only see and hear the good things. I want you to dream big and not be afraid to try new things. I want you to be confident and bold about who you are. I want you to be kind and loving, and I want people to be kind and loving towards you. I don't want you to experience pain or sorrow. 

I don't ever want you to lose that sparkle in your eyes. I want your smile to always be bright and happy! I want you to be creative. I want you to use the talents you have. I want you to always love others freely and fiercely. I want to forever hear your sweet voice singing. 

You make me long for heaven all the more, my dear little sister. 

You make me cling to the Lord so much tighter and cry out to Him all the more often, asking for protection and wisdom over your precious life. You challenge me to live a more Christ-like life. When I hear you say something you heard me say, or do something you saw me do, I find myself wanting to be a better example for you. And then I realize that I don't want you to be like me at all! I want to point you to Christ in everything I do and every word I say. 

Here's the deal... this world is broken. We live in a fallen place. We all have darkness in our lives and Satan is continually knocking on the doors of our hearts and minds, trying to overtake them. Temptations are there. Hatred is there. Pain and sorrow are there. We are surrounded by unrighteousness and, on our own, we have no hope of overcoming any of it. And because of our sin, we deserve nothing but death.

"For the wages of sin is death..."

But...

"God so LOVED the world that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

 "...I have said these things to you , that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world!"

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..."

I can't protect you from sin and I can't shelter you from the darkness of this world. But what I can do is point you to Christ, our only Hope. 

I can't save you, but I can bring you to the foot of the cross and plead with Jesus to. I can't get you into the Kingdom of God, but I can share with you the truth of redemption and Salvation through Jesus Christ our Savior. I can't keep your life pain and sorrow free, but I can encourage you to cling tightly to the Lord and trust in Him. I can't shelter you from hatred and hurt forever, but I can remind you that you are precious in the Lord's eyes.

I can't change your heart. But Jesus can.

Littlest sister...as you continue to grow and your personality continues to develop and you change and learn and become a young lady...I pray that you would realize your desperate need for Christ and that you would cry out to Him! I pray that His truth would pierce your heart and that you would put yourself aside and run to the cross! Lay down your life, pick up your cross and follow Him!

I pray that when you are ambushed with all the bad stuff, that you would stand firm in the Lord and trust in Him!

I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the times I've messed up and led you away from Jesus instead of to Him. I'm sorry for all the times I've lost my patience with you. I'm sorry for all the times that I didn't spend time with you, when my selfish desires were more important to me than you were. I'm sorry for all the times that I snapped at you. I'm sorry for all the times that I said and did things I shouldn't and you saw it.

And I'm sorry for all the times that I'll mess up in the future, because I'm not perfect. Far from it. 

Blessing Amelia...You are a treasure. You are so loved. You are such a joy to be around and so many people feel that joy! You have an amazing smile and laugh. You are beautiful. You are funny and witty. Your personality is so fun and exciting. 

I still want you to stay 4 and 1/2, but I know that's not gonna happen, and while that makes me sad and sentimental, I am so thankful to have been a part of your life these 4 years and I look forward to being a part of it for as long as the Lord allows. I am blessed to be given the title of YOUR big sister and I feel humbled at the role I play in your life...I love that you look up to me, but because of it I feel challenged to the core.

Our relationship is one of the most important in my life. You are so special and I hope we can stay best friends for all of time!

I love you and I never want you to think otherwise, ok? 

But more than that, I want you to know Christ. 

Love Him. Seek Him. Trust Him. Serve Him. Follow Him always.