Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears. ~1 Samuel 1:10
Even though I like saving money by flying one of the low-cost air carriers, I truly prefer having a boarding pass that tells me which seat is going to be mine for a flight. As you know, one of the “features” of the low-cost airlines is crowding onto the plane to find a desirable seat. It’s surprising that the gate agents aren’t equipped with cattle prods.
Over the years, on these open-seating airplanes, I’ve discovered something interesting. It has to do with children. When someone boards the plane with a small kid or two in hand, it’s interesting to watch the already-seated passengers as this family slowly progresses down the aisle. You can almost hear the people, faced with the specter of flying next to a little person, silently pleading with the parents not to select their row. As the parents and children pass by, there’s sometimes an audible sigh from these already-seated adults. You know what I’m talking about.
Kids are a bunch of trouble. Have you noticed this? They’re usually demanding, noisy, and messy. They disrupt our serene adult lives. To some they’re a contemptuous intrusion. And we get no help from a culture that, at times, seems preoccupied with not having them.
But amazingly, once we have children of our own, we discover how precious they are. We would, in fact, give our lives for them. We can’t imagine life without them.
Hannah had no children, and she wanted a son. Her husband Elkanah, not fully understanding of Hannah’s distress, tried to encourage Hannah by asking her if he was not more valuable to her than ten sons (see v. 8). Hannah answered him with merciless silence. Nothing but crickets. Sorry, Elkanah, nice try.
This message fills the pages of your Bible: children are a blessing from God. Having them is God’s way of reminding you of His presence and faithfulness.
In a word, you are blessed. Each child is proof of this fact. Tell your children that you’re happy they’re yours. Celebrate God’s goodness by thanking Him for this visible blessing in their hearing. And seek His forgiveness for the times when you’ve found yourself complaining about the demands, the noise, and the mess. We both know how much our children mean to us. They are priceless.
“Thank you, heavenly Father, for this blessing.”