The Gospel Message Within Being a Twin

A Few Things Being a Twin Has Taught Me

Hello everyone! I heard it was National Twin Day this weekend, so I figured it would be the perfect time to get this blog out! Here’s some reflections on what twin-hood has taught me over the past twenty years :)

1. An Undeserved Gift

As many of you know, I have a twin sister. We share this blog, and she’s actually the one who started this blog to begin with. She’s so different from me on the inside, but so similar to me on the outside that some people cannot even tell us apart (besides when we have different hair colors like right now haha). It’s a very interesting dynamic. For me, being a twin has meant having a built-in best friend, study buddy, and accountability partner. It’s absolutely wonderful!

Without Bailee, I would probably be a very different person. Who knows if I would have gone to Texas A&M, majored in nutrition, had the goal of being Valedictorian, been as active in the FFA, and the list could go on. If I let it, I could let this idea lead to a sense of imposter syndrome and confusion within me. However, there’s really no need for that because my twin sister was a gift from God. There’s nothing I did to earn her presence or influence in my life. It was simply God’s plan. The same is true about the saving grace of Jesus. There’s nothing we did to earn it; we were simply born into it.

The influence Bailee has had on my life reflects how vital Godly community is, how iron sharpens iron, and how two are better than one. Similar to my choice to allow Bailee to make me better (and her choice to allow me to make her better), we also have the choice to choose Jesus and allow Him to come into our heart & be our built-in bestie, counselor, source of peace, and ultimately our Savior🙌. Many Christians struggle with the thought that they don’t deserve Jesus’ love because of what they have done or what they are currently struggling with. The irony is that they are exactly right. They don’t deserve it, and neither do I. However, God is so gracious that He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can dwell in Heaven forever one day if we accept Him as our Savior. Not only that, but He promises to give us peace to weather life’s storms if we lean into Him. Please don’t let your feelings of unworthiness stop you from reading the Bible, praying, going to church, seeking out Godly friends, etc. We are all broken in some way, but our brokenness can point to His redemptive power if we allow it to.

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A friend texted me this week asking for topic ideas for a Bible Study she was asked to lead. She decided to speak on the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. This inspired me to refresh myself on this story. (A practical example of the benefits of having Godly friends is that your conversations lead you to deepen your relationship with God). Basically, the story contrasts two sisters' approach to welcoming Jesus into their home. The sister named Martha runs around the house cooking and cleaning, while Mary simply sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to what He has to say. Martha was upset by Mary’s behavior and went to Jesus saying, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40)

A deeper look at this story in the Bible reveals some noteworthy truths. For starters, if you look at the King James Version of this story in Luke 10:39, it reads. “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word” [emphasis added by me]. This word “also” might point to the notion that Mary served like her sister at times. Alternatively, it could also mean that Martha sometimes chose to sit at Jesus’s feet like Mary. “Either way, Jesus does not condemn Martha, nor does he [pin] the sisters against each other. Jesus seizes a teachable discipleship moment.” (1) According to Faithward.com, followers of Christ are “called to both sit and serve.” However, the passage clearly alludes to a problem with Martha’s heart posture. Although there is nothing wrong with having a heart to serve, “Martha’s distraction [led] to a sense of aloneness and self-righteousness, to self-focus and questions about Jesus’s care.” (1)

It’s kind of crazy how much this passage is applicable to my own life. Bailee and I can both display characteristics of Mary and Martha at different times depending on the situation. Another website I visited pointed out that “[s]omebody had to prepare the supper. If Martha would have spent most of her time sitting at the feet of Jesus (like Mary did), Jesus and His disciples would have gone hungry that night.” However, the resource goes on to highlight that “the only thing which is absolutely needful, in order to be prepared for the life to come” is “salvation through repentance of sin, faith in Christ- and a commitment to follow Him in obedience.” “Other things may be convenient, and helpful, and desirable, and useful, but there is one thing without which you cannot do—and that is saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2)

I think the discussion of Mary and Martha is so insightful and countercultural. The world would say that Martha is of more value than Mary. Jesus, however, did not indicate that the worth of either of the sisters was on the line. Instead, He simply pointed out that there are two options in life- being busy with the things of the world, or being in awe of the things of God. In my Bible, the following words are highlighted in red, meaning that these words came straight from the mouth of Jesus: “Martha, Martha; you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

This may be a tough pill to swallow, as it completely goes against the girl-boss, hustle culture we currently live in, but I encourage you to reflect on how you can incorporate sitting at Jesus’ feet in your own life. Maybe this could look like journaling your prayers, praying while doing the dishes or driving down the road, turning on some worship music instead of worrying, making time to read devotionals, setting aside longer periods of time to dig into scripture, etc. The possibilities are endless :)

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Now here's just a little brain dump of some thoughts & encouragement for the season ahead!

A new college semester is on the horizon for me and perhaps for many of you reading. Or perhaps you are not a college student. Maybe change is on the horizon for you as your children go back to college, or maybe nothing new in the physical realm seems to be approaching, but Jesus is renewing your heart each day. Each year of college thus far has brought some extremely difficult moments. I’m talking about those moments when you’re crying in the bathroom and sending the most dramatic text messages to your mom (iykyk). Thus far, my mental breakdowns have been about everything from grades, weight, appearance, what people think of me, irrational fears, and tough choices - just to name a few. My mom always does her best to calm me down (which is not always an easy task haha). Perhaps this semester I will take some time to ask Jesus what He thinks of my situation. Looking back, I like to think that if Jesus Himself were sitting on the bathroom floor with me on those difficult nights, He would probably tell me the same thing he told Martha- that I was worried about too many worldly things when, in fact, only one thing matters- God and His kingdom. No, this wouldn’t take away the troubles I was facing in the moment, but renewing my mind in this truth would have at least given me a stronger sense of peace and resilience to have a positive attitude and keep trekking through life, looking for blessings and lessons along the way.

The same friend I mentioned earlier who led a Bible study about Mary and Martha also gifted me a book titled The Well Watered Woman for my birthday this year. There’s so much wisdom in this book. It’s the type of book you can pick up randomly, read a chapter out of, and glean so much wisdom from it. Today I read a chapter about seasons. There were several subheadings within the chapter, but a few sentences under the subheading titled “Seasons of Loneliness” stood out to me. The author, Gretchen Saffles, wrote:

“When I started my first job at a church after college, I found myself in a new city. Although several interns moved to the area around the same time, I constantly battled intense feelings of loneliness as I navigated life as a single girl working in my first full-time postgraduate job. Looking back, I remember the sting of loneliness, but I also remember the sweet moments I spent with the Lord in prayer, workship, and surrender. We would never choose loneliness, but it offers its own gifts. It forces us to dig our roots deep, right where we’ve been planted.” (3)

Saffles finishes the chapter with the following words, “There’s beauty to be found in every desert. We just need the spiritual eyes to see it and the heart to long for it- and these can only be cultivated by being in the Word in every season.” (3)

I know this next semester will bring hardship and happiness, but my prayer is for my eyes to be open to the joy all around me as I serve the most gracious God. I know in my own flesh, I’ll grow weak, so I am thankful that God will be with me every step of the way.

I listened to a podcast today that I want to share with you all! In this episode, Dr. Caroline Leaf walks us through how to change the neuropathways in our brain. Did you know it takes 63 days to begin this process? Crazy! Here is the episode:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1agQOxIYFhLMbVS7XN1wDJ?si=UlrDjJk9TxSoKOojuRcuUg

I was reading in Isaiah the other morning, and the following verses encouraged me:

“‘Come let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land…” (Isaiah 1:15-19)

Whatever sins held you back in this last season don’t have to hold you captive in this next season. My prayer for you is that people would sense a noticeable difference in your life and that the aroma of Christ would mark your life as you step into each day.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

I hope you are having a good morning, afternoon, or evening (whenever you are reading this)!!

Love,

Breanna Reese Chavez

References

1. Ruiter G. Mary and Martha: Sitting at the feet of jesus. Faithward.org. May 24, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.faithward.org/women-of-the-bible-study-series/mary-and-martha-sitting-at-the-feet-of-jesus/.

2. Martin HS. Mary and Martha: Friends of Jesus. Bible Helps, Inc.. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://biblehelpsinc.org/publication/mary-and-martha-friends-of-jesus/.

3. Saffles G, Simons RC. The Well-Watered Woman: Rooted in Truth, Growing in Grace, Flourishing in Faith. Tyndale Momentum, the Tyndale nonfiction imprint; 2021.