Women’s Ministry Minute
June 19, 2020
With Kristina Roberts
When I was a little girl, I loved playing with dolls. They all had stories and outfits and accessories and names. At any given time, I was convinced that I was going to grow up and get married and have girls and name them the names that were my favorites at the time. I knew that I would hug them and feed them and change their diapers and take them on walks. As my visions of becoming a mother evolved through the years as I aged, so did the things that I associated motherhood with. I would dream bigger dreams. What would my child look like? Would they love to ride horses? Would they be smart? What would be their talents? What career would they pursue? Would they marry? What would their spouse be like? But as I mature, I know in my heart of hearts that the single most important thing that matters when it comes to my motherhood and our children’s lives is do they love Jesus? Do they know His love? Do they walk in His ways? Will they marry someone who will be a follower of Christ? Will they take their children to Sunday School? Will they know the Bible and love to read and study it? Will they tell others about Him? Will they know the joy that comes with being a part of the family of God’s church?
All of us who follow Him have these thoughts and desires for our children. It is a natural progression or expectation when you are a disciple of Jesus. I mean, all of us want this, yes? But life is busy. And hectic. And distracting. And tasty. And sometimes at the end of the day, it is easier to put off the bath or the song, or the devotional book, and just tuck them into bed quickly before any more quarrels or squabbles occur. Because after all, there are about 15 or 20 more things that I have on mylist to do after they go to bed, and they should understand that I am a busy person, right? It is so easy to forget what really matters.
In the first chapter of 1st Samuel, we meet Hannah. She so desperately wants a child. Not only is she barren, but her husband has another wife who already has children, and this woman taunts her and makes fun of her inability to conceive. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound. She is in such anguish that when she goes to the temple with her husband, she weeps so bitterly during her prayer that the priest accuses her of being drunk. Hannah wants to be a mother. So. Badly. During her prayer she pledges to give her child to the Lord for all the days of his life. And after God allows her to conceive she does just that. When the child is weaned, she takes him (Samuel) to the temple to live and to be raised up and trained by the priest and to live in service to God all of the days of His life.
She wanted this child SO MUCH… it says she prayed for a baby year after year without ceasing. And then she promises to give him away! Now I don’t know of any reasonable modes of following Jesus in this day and time that would require or even allow us to abandon or donate our children to the cause of God’s kingdom. But we are called to be followers of Jesus and to raise our children to know Him. Talk about Him. Let them see you pray. Study the Bible with them. Let them witness your kindness and acts of service. Involve them in these things. Take them to church every chance you get. Discipline them so they understand right and wrong and responsibility. Love them without ceasing.
• Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go and when they are old they will not turn from it.”
• Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
• Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”