My Kids Whom I Love…
“‘So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.’ And he worshiped the Lord there.” 1 Samuel 1:28
Some parts of the Bible cause my mommy heart to come just completely undone. Abraham offering Isaac to the Lord, yea, I'm still working through that one. That'll be a post for another day. This one too, though. Hannah begged and pleaded for a son. She lived in a time and culture where people widely acknowledged barrenness as a curse from God, or at the very least, the lack of His favor (same thing, yea?). She pours out her heart, praying prayer after prayer, year after painful year, laboring and agonizing as she petitions to the Lord. So much so, that the local priest accuses her of being drunk. When was the last time that you prayed crazy-person style? I mean, it is by no means a prerequisite for God hearing our prayers, but it does, I think, reflect the posture of our hearts, at times. On your face, ugly cry, snot, yelling out. You get the picture. Well, the Bible doesn't tell us that there was any snot, but as a woman who had not gotten to experience the privilege of motherhood, that hole in her heart and her home... I think there might have been snot. Anyway, moving on then.
She offers up her prayers and petitions and then Eli, the priest, encourages her with a blessing that her prayers be answered. And to the glory of God, she conceives a son! Now, back it up. She promised in verse 11 that, if the Lord granted her a son, she would, “give him to the Lord all the days of his life.” Could you imagine, Momma? It is so much easier for me to envision myself turning into a helicopter mom, ferociously protecting my precious, only child. I just can't, outside of the grace of God, imagine that I would be able to open my death grip and drop off my adorable little, squishy toddler at the temple. We are not talking about a teenage man-child, y'all. We are talking maybe three years old. Three! The faithfulness that she demonstrates! Oi! Her trust in the Lord's protection and provision! She literally walks out the idea that we are to love the Lord our God above all else, above everyone else.
She loved the Lord so much that she gave her son, her only son, whom she loved. Familiar? I love how God gave us parenthood to help us better understand His deep, unconditional love for His children. It is by this construct of family, and the subsequent tender hearts that pulse with such vulnerability, that we allow ourselves to love someone THAT much. This story is such a gift to us Momma Bears. I imagine our Good Lord, saying to my swollen-with-love momma heart, “Yes, I want you to give me everything. Even them. Even your children.” Gasp!… Nervous whimper anyone? But, He never asks us to do what He has not also been willing to do. And it is always good. Think for a moment, how He gave His Son, knowing full well what His Beloved would suffer. When we follow His example, He then grows our children in their spiritual walk, protects them, uses them powerfully for His glory and truly exceeds our expectations.
But, seriously? Three? Which brings me to my next point: three was not too young for a boy to begin walking in the ways of the Lord, learning scripture, being taught how to minister to (ie. spend time with) the Lord. In other words, love God. As he learned to walk with his physical feet, he learned to walk out his faith. As his palate for meat was developed, so his hunger and understanding of God's Word developed. She did not wait until he was on the cusp of adulthood to say, “okay, honey, time to be a big boy and learn this all on your own now, but you can live in my basement while you do. Take your time. Life is so hard.” Ahem. She normalized complete devotion to the Lord from his toddler years, allowing him to aim at becoming a man. She set his trajectory from the get-go. She knew where to aim her little “arrow”. All he knew was to live his life 100% completely devoted to loving the Lord, serving the Lord and learning His Word. That's what makes a real man.
So, why do we wait? “Oh, the Bible is hard to understand…” Not by the power of the Holy Spirit. “There are events and topics that my child is not ready for in the Bible.” With prayerful discernment, let God work that out.
Here is what I know: my kids do not go to heaven because I love Jesus. They are not guarenteed to make the right choices because they go to Sunday School and they won't stay on the straight and narrow because I tell them to, no matter how smoldering my mom-stare is. It is critical that they fall in love with Christ themselves. It is vital that they develop a hunger and thirst for the Word of God lest they suffer spiritual starvation.
It defies my selfish nature and fearful, worldly logic to let go of my child. These beautiful children came from the Lord, He lovingly gifted them to us, and so we return them to the Lord because His ways are higher and His thoughts are higher (Isaiah 55:8-9) and His plans for them (and me!) are much better than my plans could ever be(Jeremiah 29:11). I don't want my kids to live out anything less than the best that God has for them and so, I HAVE to do the hardest thing that I will ever do and offer my kids back to the Lord, dedicate them to the Lord; as long as they live they are dedicated to the Lord.
