Thursday, March 23, 2006

Have you met my mother.......Hannah?


First off, as most of you know, my mother's name is not Hannah. It is JoAnn, but after reading through 1 Samuel I couldn't help but notice the similarities and I had to give my mommy props. 1 Samuel opens with an account of a woman named Hannah who was barren and unable to have kids, as was thought by my mother who adopted me in 1978 (she later was able to have kids...thank God..because now I have the best brother and sister in the world).

So, Hannah pleaded with the Lord for a child and the Lord "remembered her" (1 sam. 1:19) and blessed her with a son, Samuel. Hannah was overcome with joy and thankfulness. Being an obvious woman of God, she recognized that the child was not her's but rather the Lord's and uttered this remarkable bit. "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long has he lives he shall be lent to the Lord." (1 Sam. 1:27-28)

I couldn't help but think of my mother upon reading this. I am going away to a place that is considered dangerous and "impossible" to many. This no doubt scares my mother (and for that matter all of my family) but she understands what also Hannah did. She has given me over to the Lord, knowing that this is my calling in life. That takes great faith.

I know there are a lot of "Hannah's" out there. My brother Collin's mother is another Hannah. Whether it be mother's who watch their sons or daughters go off to military service, missions, or anything like that...it is a powerful thing. I am glad that 1 Samuel starts off with this account. It makes the story much more real and practical. Thank you to all the Hannah's out there.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Grant,

God indeed blessed me - giving me you as my son to love and share with the Lord. There are not words to describe how much I love my children and thank God for giving me the gift and honor of being a mother. My prayer for you and your brother and sister is for God's guidance and care in your lives. Psalm 121 is a comforting Psalm a friend of mine shared with me when her son was overseas in the military. This Psalm will also be a daily prayer of mine as you leave to minister in Afghanistan.
Thank you for the beautiful message and especially for your love.

Love you always,
Mom

Anonymous said...

Hi Sweet!

How lucky are you to have discovered the beauty of Motherhood!! :) If it is true that it is the child who chooses the Mother, than biology is the least important criteria for that choice...

How fortunate are we women who are honored to be Mothers. And, how LUCKY am I to have had two angels choose me at the same moment in time!!!

I like this quote: A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase. ~Author Unknown

You will know the purest form of love when you look into the eyes of your children . . . I do ~ two times over!!!

Big Hugs and Lots of Love,
Zoe & Eden's Mommy

P.S. I have a quote for your Mommy, too (because, there's something out there even more Grand than Motherhood . . . ;)~ )

"If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you're the Grandma." ~ Theresa Bloomingdale

Brett Berger said...

Very honoring post. It is a big deal to let a son go like that.

Unrelated question: When are you going to start growing your beard? You can't go over their all baby-faced! :) I just mailed in our support pledge.

John Lynch said...

Awesome dude.