I have woken up feeling extremely old today(haha), BUT I am thankful that God has allowed me to see this new day where His mercies are new everyday!!
I am apart of a MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers)group and I haven't been to a meeting in a while. In part because we haven't met much this summer due to VBS, July 4th week and then one week the group decided to meet at one of the big bouncy places so the kids could play and I chose not to go. We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. I was so glad I went yesterday.
We had a Save-A-Life baby shower where we brought baby items such as diapers, wipes, bath stuff, gently used baby clothes, formula, bottles and other things. They are in great need of items like that so if you can donate something, they are greatly appreciative. We also had one of the SAL board members come and give us a devotion. She talked about Hannah (I Samuel chapter 1) and how Hannah really desired to have a child. Back in those days having more than one wife was the norm so her husband had another wife who seemed to pop out children like candy. Also, in those days if a woman was barren she was looked upon as being cursed by God. Can you imagine what Hannah was going through. Besides the anguish emotionally of not being able to conceive, being looked at as being cursed by God, she also had to deal with this other wife who would torment her year after year in part because their husband loved Hannah more and then because she had multiple children and Hannah had none. She would torment her so bad that Hannah would weep and not eat. One day they were in the temple area, where the women were allowed, and Hannah was in so much anguish that she stood up and was quietly praying to God for a child. The priest thought she was drunk because her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. She was crying out to God from the innermost parts of her heart and soul. She promised God that if He gave her just one child, a son, that she would give him back to God for God to use in whatever way He wanted. It says in the Bible that God remembered her and she conceived a child, a boy whom she named Samuel saying "because I asked the Lord for him".
Back in those days it was customary for moms to nurse their children until they were 3 years old or longer because there was no way to keep milk sweet. But after she weaned him , she took him , young as he was, to the house of the Lord. She went to Eli, the priest, and told him that her child was a gift from God to her and that she wanted to give him to the Lord for his whole life. So she left Samuel to be raised by Eli the priest to be used by God. I can't imagine leaving my child with someone else, but because of her promise to God and because He blessed her with a child she was able to leave Him. Year after year she would travel to Shiloh to see her son and to bring him a robe that she had made. Eli would bless Hannah and her husband saying "may the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord" and the Bible says that God was gracious to Hannah and she gave birth to three sons and two daughters while Samuel was growing up in the presence of the Lord.
She had so much faith and trust in her Lord. She gave her son to the Lord for Him to take care of. Now some of us have our children dedicated to the Lord, but have we really thought about giving our children to the Lord. I don't mean just dropping them off at the local church but I mean in our everyday life. Giving them to God to use for whatever purposes He has in store for them and in store for those who know them. Completely handing them over to God.
After everyone had gone to bed I re-read Hannah's story and just prayed and cried because honestly, I don't know if I really put my complete trust in God to take care of my babies. To give them to Him whole heartedly. Because in my mind I'm thinking, Ok God, that means that you could possibly (which I pray not) take them away from me here on earth and I just don't know how I could handle that. I want to hold onto them forever and them to always be in my life and if I totally give them to you then that means that you might do and use whatever you want to for your purpose. In general we always tend to say OK Lord, your will not mine but do we as mother's really think that? We have a tendency as mom's to think that they are ours because we birthed them,nursed them,and we spend so much time with them taking care of them, raising them and molding them into the little people that we know God wants them to be and that if God gave them to us then why would He take them from us? God already has our days numbered and if our numbered days are shorter then what we think they should be, it is still apart of His will and plan. So I guess that if we go ahead and really give them to the Lord then we can rest easier knowing that they are in His hands solely and that He will take care of them whether they are in Heaven with Him or down here with us. I'm not saying that I am totally at that point yet because whenever I think about it, I start to cry and beg and plead with God to not take them from me. I think that is a fear felt by all moms, but then again, God does not give us a spirit of fear. I think it's the "how they are taken from us" part that makes us so scared. It's the "how will I live with out them?" that invades our minds.
I guess I'm saying that I wish I could be more like Hannah. Totally giving my babies over to the Lord for Him to use for whatever purpose and plan He has for their life and mine. I am trying to "let go" and "let God". The human side of me is really struggling with that.
Are you willing to totally and whole heartedly give your babies, your family, your spouse to God? After reading the story of Hannah I got this email..thought the timing was perfect!!
To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE
This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.
P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.
God
God has seen you struggling, God says it's over.
No comments:
Post a Comment