Michele and Me

The sign said  'Closed'.   Through the window could be seen cleaners mopping, organizers straightening and stockers refilling cubbies, cabinets and counters with fresh merchandise.  Maintenance was underway.  It was a necessary pause in sales to keep the store in fit condition for when the sign got flipped back to 'Open' the following morning.
Have you ever met someone who clearly had no 'Closed' side to the sign of their life?   Or 'Open' side for that matter?
Both types are out there; the frenzied sales vs. the mellowed maintenance.  My sister and I seem the perfect personifications of each extreme.  She's a constant planner, a driven go-getter, and she chases down experiences for her family so they can taste each wonderful flavor this life has to offer.  I , however, don't chase much of anything.  My personal palette doesn't crave many flavors nor do I feel the same responsibility to deliver the varied spectrum to my family.   The quiet enjoyment received from fully appreciating vanilla is where I find fulfillment.  Contentment in present circumstances, for the time the circumstances are upon us is the most valuable experience I feel I can ever offer my son.
Am I unambitious?  No!  By far, no!  I am a convicted and driven vehicle against religious intolerance and complacent Christianity as well as being a voice and example for the responsibility of personal influence in our own spheres.  I am valuable while appearing stand-still in the wake of my sister.
Is she unappreciative of her present circumstances?  No!  By far,  no!  She sees the  responsibility she has, while she can still be a tool of influence, to acquaint her family with the opportunities this world offers and the potential of her children to interact, grow within, and claim these experiences for themselves.  She is valuable while appearing to be a chaotic tsunami against the backdrop of my calm waters.
So why am I wasting your time?  I'm not; stop being so quick to judge!  There!  Did you catch that?  We judge.  We might not always like it about ourselves but we do it.  It's a reflex, call it survival if you like, where we assess possible risks in our environment in order to know whether we should pull away or draw close to someone.  And we judge more quickly in circumstances where we have very little information.  In short, we judge what we don't understand.  So here I have placed before you what would appear to be the lazy sister vs. the self-absorbed sister.  But now you know a little more.  You know we are both driven by what we evaluate to be the best circumstances for our loved ones.  You know we are both passionate in our roles as human beings who seek to get the most out of their lives.  You know I love my sister very much or I wouldn't have taken the time to introduce her strongest and most noble characteristics instead of relating the bitter feud that raged throughout our childhood concerning a certain dollhouse that......never mind.

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Made for each other

She knew she was supposed to. She prayed for a blockade just in case she was being mislead but it hadn't come yet. She didn't think it was going to. The responsibility, thus the consequence, was grand scale. This was what she did, though. He did too. They made a good team when it came to kicking up dust. That time had come again and as usual it came because of what they knew.

They are probably seen as chaos creators by those who don't know them well. Of course those who do know them still consider them trouble makers but the faith that leads these two is undeniable. Thus, they are prayed for in lieu of condemnation. Prayers of guidance and wisdom were always over their heads to get them through the trouble that continually camped at their heels.

There was no debate as to why it seemed these two travelled via whirlwind. The word 'question' that carried through most people's lives as a noun lived within theirs as a verb. It was an action their convictions wouldn't ignore and conviction never worked for it's own means. They simply asked too many questions.

His problem was with loose ends. He just couldn't leave them untied. From childhood missing details would drive him to research and more questions would arise until the wrong questions were asked = conflict.

Her problems lay more in the field of right and wrong; she always knew the difference. As with him, her childhood was dominated by gnawing conviction. Her field was not in research however but in love. She befriended, defended and scolded always under the banner of 'the right thing to do'. As a cute little girl her actions were seen as inspiring. As an adult the same actions fueled by the same convictions were considered condemning and judgemental = conflict.

So conflict and conflict ended up together. As a team they live and question and act through their faithful convictions. It has brought them misery, danger and rejection. Their Father cradles them each night, though. He urges them forward not with empty promises of comfort or success but with the assurance that tomorrow night He'll be there beside them as He has been since their youth. As He always had been since they day they individually chose to follow His lead.