It was the night before Courtney’s birthday. She said "good night" to all of her family and set her bedside alarm clock. Although I won’t need it to wake me up tomorrow! she thought. Of course she would be awake before her alarm went off, because it was her birthday.
But, as it turned out, Courtney didn’t wake up before her alarm. When it started beeping, Beth Ann woke up first and turned off the alarm. Then she woke up her sister. It’s probably nicer to be awakened by your sister than an alarm clock, especially on your birthday, thought Beth Ann. She gently woke up Courtney and the two girls got up and read their Bibles and prayed together, like they did every morning.
After they were done in their room, the two girls headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast. “Happy Birthday!” Samuel and David called out, coming to give her a hug.
“Thanks!” she said with a smile. After breakfast was over, all of the children said that they wanted Courtney to open her presents. Courtney would have said no, but she was as curious to find out what was in them as her younger siblings.
Opening the first present, which was from her parents, she found a book that she had wanted for a long time. The next present contained another book, and it was also from her parents. Beth Ann’s eyes were shining with excitement as she handed Courtney her present. Courtney ripped off the wrapping paper and found a set of pens that she had thought about buying every time she had walked by them in the store.
“Thank you so much!” she said, hugging Beth Ann. Beth Ann smiled even wider. Courtney opened the rest of her presents quickly and found everything very satisfactory – all but one thing, that is. Where is the surprise the boys were making for me? she wondered. She hoped that it was not for Beth Ann, but that was the way it looked. Oh, well, she thought. Who cares anyways? But inside she did care. All of the sudden, Courtney was not having as good of a day as she was having at the beginning. She tried not to show it, though, and tried to act as though nothing was wrong. Courtney helped her mother pick up all of the wrapping paper, and then ran outside to play tag with her brothers and sister.
“I got you!” panted Samuel to Courtney as he tagged her ponytail. “No tag-backs.” He threw himself down on the ground to rest for a minute until Courtney tagged someone else.
“No, you didn’t!” Courtney said. “I didn’t even feel it.”
“You didn’t feel it because I touched your hair.”
“Well, I didn’t feel it, so you are still ‘it.’”
“No I’m not! I tagged you and that’s that.” Courtney could be very bossy at times, but Samuel also knew how to hold his ground.
“Well, if you’re not going to play by the rules, then I guess I’m not going to play.” Courtney made a move toward the door.
Beth Ann stepped in front of the door. “Please, Courtney, just be ‘it.’ There’s no sense in quitting just because you didn’t feel Sam touch you!”
“No, Samuel will be ‘it’ or I’m not going to play.”
Samuel reluctantly gave in. “All right,” he said slowly.
* * *
The next day was Beth Ann’s birthday. She woke up cheerful and happy. After breakfast, she decided to follow her sister’s example from the previous day and open her presents now.
She began with a long skinny wrapped box. It was a fun game that she had wanted. Next, she opened a new dress from Courtney, and some markers from a friend. After she had opened her last present, Samuel and David said that they had a surprise for her. “We’ll be right back,” said David, as the two boys went to their room to get it.
“Oh, how pretty!” Beth Ann exclaimed. The boys had given her a bouquet of flowers, picked out of the garden, and a card they had made themselves! The card said, “To our very loving and kind sister, Beth Ann. We hope you have a great birthday and that you will have the greatest year of your life. We love you and pray for you every day. Love, Samuel and David.”
“Thank you so much!” Beth Ann cried. She hugged both of her brothers. “That was so nice of you!”
Beth Ann, Samuel, and David went off to play Beth Ann’s new game, but Courtney didn’t go with them. She sat on the sofa looking mad.
“What’s the matter?” her mother asked, sitting down next to her.
“It wasn’t nice for the boys to give flowers and a nice card to Beth Ann and not to me. I thought the surprise they were making was going to be for me, and then they went and gave it to Beth Ann.”
“Oh, I see. You are disappointed that you didn’t get the surprise when you thought it was for you. But why did you think it was for you?”
Courtney hesitated. “Because Beth Ann can be such a pain. She is so annoying.”
“But, Courtney, have you ever thought about the fact that maybe you are the one who’s wrong, and not Beth Ann? I don’t think she’s that bad. We all have our faults, but for the most part, your little sister is a generous, loving girl.”
“But she is always doing things that she shouldn’t. They all are, even the boys. And then when I tell them to stop, they get defensive.”
Mom didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she said, very gently, “Courtney, I think I know why they get defensive.” She paused and looked at her daughter. “You do seem to boss them around a lot,” she said, in the same gentle tone of voice. “I don’t see Beth Ann doing that. She is always very sweet to everyone, even you, when you are bossing her. Maybe that is why they gave the flowers to Beth Ann and not to you. Do you understand what I am saying?”
Courtney did understand what her mother was saying. Now that she understood, it made her see things in a whole new light. She saw that she was the one in the wrong, always telling her sister and brothers what to do, and getting annoyed at them all the time. They deserved to be treated with respect and kindness. “I understand,” she said. “I will try from now on to be nicer to them and follow the golden rule.”
Then Courtney went over to where her younger siblings were playing their game. “I have something to confess,” she said, quietly. No one said anything, so she went on. “I have not been a very good sister to all of you,” she said. “I’ve been bossy and mean and terrible. By God’s grace I want to start again and be nicer to all of you. Will you please forgive me for the way I’ve treated you?”