| Tuesday, September 27, 2011 |
| Remember - Be Thankful - Dedicate (1 Samuel 1:21-28) |
I can remember when it was different. I can remember the feeling of despair, not sure what I can do to make the feeling go away. Endlessly placing my hope for fulfillment into things that consistently let me down. I can remember where I have come from, and that it was not me that brought me as far as I am. I can remember and I am thankful.
But I don't always remember. In fact, even though I can remember, it is a choice to remember. And many times I make the choice to forget. When I choose to forget I begin believing that it is "me" that got me this far...that it is "me" that knows what I need...that it is "me" that I can count on. It isn't long before my face is in the carpet, having tripped again, before I am reminded of how untrustworthy "me" is. Then I have a choice, to remember, or keep purposely forgetting. I have to choose to remember.
Hannah chose to remember. God had answered her prayer, bringing her out of her despair, giving her hope. He had provided a son for her when it looked like it would never happen. He came through big time. Hannah had told God that if he did, she would give the gift of her child back to him. But lets be real, how easy would it have been for Hannah to choose to forget? There would have been a million excuses/reasons to forget. "Life is busy, especially raising a child." "This child needs his mother". "Who else is going to take care of this child?" "It is God who wants me to rethink this whole vow thing". We can justify our forgetfulness without much effort. But not Hannah. Hannah chose to remember.
I think Hannah remembered because she was thankful. Thankfulness seems to help us remember. We can envision that the whole time Hannah is nursing and caring for Samuel she is thanking God for doing a miracle in her life. We can imagine she sang songs to her baby about how faithful God is and how he restores the future of his people. We can picture a thankful mother consistently choosing to thank God for the gift he had given her. That is the thing....thankfulness is a choice as well. Hannah chose to be thankful and when it came time to be obedient to the promise she had made God to give her son back to him, it is out of thankfulness that she obeyed. "I have prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I ask of him. So now I give him to the Lord." Hannah chose to remember and chose to be thankful.
I think I get tripped up in my life when I choose to forget and thus loose my thankfulness. Everything I have has been given to God. Much like Hannah. Yet, when it comes time to give back to God what he has given me, whether it is talents, treasure, or time, I many times choose to forget. When I forget I am unthankful. When I am unthankful I act on my behalf. When I act on my behalf I lose dedication to God. Hannah's story teaches me a better way. Remember - Be Thankful - Dedicate.
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posted by Unknown @ 8:29 AM   |
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