My sister-in-Laws have been here visiting with me, and it's nice to have them. Deniese was very excited for the weeks up to when they arrived, and now that they're here she has spent just about every waking moment with them.

Being the last of 4 kids myself, and having a brother to "insulate" me from my two sisters (we boys came last) I don't relate well with sisters. My closest has 6 years on me, and was one of those take charge, bossy mini-moms. My older sister, who has 8 years on me, was so much older that by the time I realized I had her as a second sister she was off to college and then married and out of the house. I really got to know her as an adult and not as a kid. I'm glad for both of them, though, and love them both (honest!), but we just aren't close like Deniese and her sisters.

It doesn't take a lot to see that there's a funny bond between sisters, a kind of mushy closeness that brothers don't seem to have. Brothers have that rough and tumble relationship toward each other, the muss-up-your-hair kind of attitude where one of us is the musser and the other the muss-ee (usually based on size, age, or experience - one can be either depending on the circumstance), but underneath the "manly" pecking order sparring there is still a true affection. (Unless you're Dave Dugas of course, he can only be the musser! » However, I see that muss and mush are only different by one letter, so maybe I can relate to this sister thing a little after all.

What I notice when I see Deniese and her sisters together is a little bit of their parents. I mean, I lived near my father and mother-in-law for some time while I was in Colorado and enjoyed their company very much. Now that three of their children are here, I see facial expressions and hear phrases come out that remind me a lot of them. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, all of us have met someone and knew right away "You're Skip's son!" or "You're Kieran's daughter!" just by seeing the shape of their face, the smile on their mouth, or even the twinkle in their eye. Something that perhaps means nothing to anyone else at all clearly spells out their parents. Deniese and her two sisters are very different in a lot of ways, you might not realize they are sisters at all at first glance, but when you know their parents you come to realize it's like looking at a reflection of a jewel from different angles. Not quite the same but similar after all.

And as I mentioned. it's more than just they way they look. Often times we quote our parents, or adopt their habits and mannerisms, and to one who is familiar with them they become tell-tale clues. Often unmistakable. Now, in the case of Jesus we know that he was not so amazing to look at that people flocked to see him, nor was his voice alone so particularly compelling that upon hearing it people would become spellbound. No, it was the context of what he said, the message he delivered, that should have identified him as the son of God and for many it did. But notice - even with Deniese and her sisters you only really notice these things when you KNOW the parents. Those who knew God, the father, saw him in his son. Ever think about that? Those who didn't truly know God had a hard time identifying Jesus. Those who sought God found him in his son.

What about you, are you a child of God? Maybe your friends and neighbors can't see that because they don't know God as they should, but I wonder about that. What did the people see when Moses stood before Pharaoh? What did Elijah look like, challenging the false prophets of Baal? How did David appear, going toe to toe with Goliath? Why again did people flock to see John the Baptist? When people seek God, do you suppose he is all that difficult to find? So shouldn't we make it all that much easier for them, by quoting him and adopting his habits? Think about it!

Randy