Could this verse possibly mean being kind to your younger sister when she borrows your jacket without asking? Or having compassion when your mom asks you to finish the dishes while she deals with your cranky brother? Or what about forgiving your sister when she hits a sour note during a performance with your string quartet?

These are examples the Miller sisters have had to face through their years of growing up in a family of nine and playing with one another in the Eden String Quartet. Megan, Krista, Leah and Therese’s parents set the spiritual foundation for them to become responsible, godly women by frequently quoting Scriptures such as Ephesians 4:32. Now the siblings are reaping the benefits of learning self-discipline, submission and the value of hard work at an early age.

Starting Out
The Millers grew up in Oakland, Ill., on a grain and cattle farm. They helped feed the cows, drive tractors, clean stalls and anything else that needed to be done. On a day off, they’d drive about an hour to Champagne, Ill., for doctor’s appointments or shopping, because Oakland is so small it doesn’t even have a stoplight.

The girls became involved in music more than 16 years ago, when Megan, at age 7, began walking over to their grandma’s house for piano lessons. Each of the younger girls started soon after as well.

Their cousin, who was only 3 when she started with Suzuki violin, sparked their interest in the stringed instruments. Krista and Megan went to their first lesson expecting to share a violin, but their teacher suggested Megan learn viola. Later, Leah learned cello, and Therese started viola. But two violas, a violin and a cello isn’t a string quartet, so Megan switched to violin so the four girls could start playing together. In 1998, they became the Eden String Quartet.

Learning to Focus
For a while all the girls had a bad attitude about practicing, but they soon figured out they were just making themselves miserable.

“We weren’t convincing our parents that they should do something different,” 23-year-old Krista says. “We all got over that, and now we’re so glad our parents didn’t let us quit, because we’ve had so many opportunities to play for people, whether it’s somewhere big or just at a nursing home.”

“Our parents didn’t set out for us to have a quartet, but that little step of obedience of honoring and submitting to them turned out to be a big blessing in our lives,” 24-year-old Megan says.

Home schooling has provided a flexible schedule for the Millers to take lessons, perform and teach other students. Therese, a junior in high school, is able to learn speech and apologetics with other home schoolers, attend youth orchestra, play with her sisters’ quartet and teach students in the music studio.

Krista can’t think of anything negative about her experience home schooling from sixth grade on. She says it taught her how to learn. “It increased my love for learning. I loved working at my own pace. I loved math and science, so I was able to work ahead in those areas.”

The social aspect of being home schooled wasn’t a big deal, Megan says. “It wasn’t like we didn’t see people or do things with other kids.”

“We had family friends who had children of all ages, and we learned to relate to all of them,” Krista adds. “Also, we had a lot of elderly friends in our town we’d visit and bring cookies to. We really enjoyed learning from them what life was like when they were growing up.

“Sometimes people’s perspective of home schooling is just what they’ve heard from other people about home schoolers being socially maladjusted and not having a good education. Sometimes we’ve had people ask us weird questions, but I think once they’re around us, they get the drift that we’re normal.”

Sharing the Gift
Transitioning from home schooling to college has been relatively easy for the Millers. Megan went to University of Illinois in Urbana and majored in viola. She lived with her aunt and uncle during the week and usually came home on the weekends.

Krista went to a community college about 45 minutes away. She lived at home during that time and did until this summer when she got married and moved to Chicago.

“Living at home is a really big money saver, and our parents are very open to have us living at home—having that protection for their daughters to still be at home when we’re younger and be under the authority of our dad,” Krista says.

Nineteen-year-old Leah is studying graphic and Web design online. Starting this fall she’ll start on her business degree also through correspondence so she can live at home. “With our quartet, it wouldn’t work if we were in different places,” she says.

Even now with two sisters married and Megan with two children, the Eden String Quartet still performs once or twice a month. Last October they released their first CD, What Wondrous Love, featuring many classic hymns. In December they released a DVD called A Bountiful Blessing.

“Music is created by the Lord, and it’s a gift that has been given to us. We don’t want to hoard what we’ve been given,” Krista says. “A verse in 1 Peter says, ‘As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.’ We feel like music is something we’ve been given, and in this point of our lives, we have the opportunity to share it with people. We want to be faithful.”

To learn more about the Eden String Quartet, read their family blog or see their touring schedule, visit edenstringquartet.com.

Tips for Loving Your Siblings

* be quick to forgive

* don’t hold grudges

* admit when you’re wrong

* be teachable

* treat your siblings as teammates

* don’t be offended by honesty

* be humble