Which Mom Will I Be?
By Carolyn Hulliberger
“So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over
to the LORD.”
1 Samuel 1:28 (NIV)
Motherhood is emotionally
complicated. No matter how a family is
formed, the bond between mother and child is strong; at times exhilarating, as
well as heart-wrenching. Moms want the best for their kids. But determining
what is “best” is the source of endless conjecture and debate. Because what you
or I feel is best may not line up with our child’s point of view or, more
importantly, God’s plan for their life.
In the book of Matthew, we see the
mother of two of Jesus’ disciples - - James and John - - kneel down before
Jesus and ask a favor on behalf of her grown sons. “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may
sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom” (Matthew 20:21).
Um….can we say, “Helicopter Mom”?
The book of 1 Samuel gives us a
different example…Hannah. After years of infertility and struggle, pouring her
heart out to God in desperation for a child, her prayers are finally answered. In
response, she gives her child (Samuel) back to God and voluntarily places him in
the service of the priests at the age of 3.
I. Can’t. Even. Imagine.
I’m not saying that we should drop
our preschoolers off at our pastor’s doorstep. But there is a greater lesson
for us. In today’s suburban mom world, we are in pursuit of the optimal outcome
for our children. We are tempted to control everything for our kids. There is
endless debate about the best school districts, colleges, activities and
careers. I’ve even read articles about Human Resource officers being contacted
by the mothers of recent college graduates wanting the employer to just “tweak”
their job offers!
What if we stepped back from that?
What Hannah gloriously did was TRUST
HER GOD WITH HER CHILD. I think Hannah understood God’s character when He
promised Joshua, “I will never leave you…” (Joshua 1:5) or told Moses, “My Presence will go with
you” (Exodus 33:14). He would do the same for her - - and for Samuel. She
embraced God’s blessing upon His people and applied it to her son: that the
LORD would truly bless Samuel, keep Samuel, make His face shine on Samuel, and
give Samuel peace (based on Numbers 6:24-26).
Hannah made the character and words
of God real and relevant for herself and her son. I can’t think
of a better gift for my children or myself: To do my utmost in setting a similar
example and choosing to TRUST MY GOD WITH MY CHILDREN.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Where do you need to trust God more with your children?
FURTHER
READING:
Along with caring for her family
(which includes two teenagers), Carolyn works as an insurance representative
and serves in Oakwood Church’s Student Ministries as a senior high small group
co-leader, and hosts a family in-home small group.
