Hannah's Faith

My daughter’s son Braden started to kindergarten last week, and she was lamenting the fact that he had grown from a tiny babe into a little boy so quickly. “I just want him to be happy,” she said. She doesn’t want him to be afraid or to have other kids tease him. Join the crowd of mothers everywhere, Carrie! We all want our children to be happy, healthy, brave, confident, and secure, and we worry about the moments when we can’t be there to protect them.

Will this concern end when he enters high school or college? No. My sister-in-law Becky, the mother of two handsome, strong, smart young men (my macho nephews) recently confessed that she misses them immensely even though they’re seniors in college. They attend college six hours away, and it’s torture for their mom not to be able to see their faces and hear their voices on a daily basis.

What about when he (Braden or any other child) marries and begins life with a spouse? Will the worry and concern end then? Nope, not then either. I speak from experience in that my son recently married and now lives four hours away. Since he’s married, I’m more hesitant about calling at any old time. Although he’s my son, he’s her husband, and I want them to strengthen their partnership, something more possible without a meddlesome mother-in-law. I wonder, just like Carrie and Becky, whether he’s sad, happy, scared, anxious, hungry, bewildered, or confused.

Does this feeling ever end? I think not. At times such as these, I think of one of my friends who’d often listen to my worries about my children and then demand, “Have you turned your children over to God yet??? They’re not yours anyway, you know. They’re His, and you just have to trust that everything will be fine.”

My friend’s reminder always brings Hannah to mind. Day after day, she went to the temple and prayed for a son. Eli, after inquiring about what he perceived to be her drunken state, learned of Hannah’s fervent desire for a child and of her promise to give him to the Lord “all the days of his life.” Eli then told her to go in peace and that God would grant her petition. We know the rest of the story. Hannah gave birth to Samuel, and after he was weaned, Hannah brought him to Eli to be raised in the tabernacle.

How did she give him up???? I don’t know the answer to that. I only know that I need to have a little more of Hannah’s faith and trust. After all, Braden, Chris, John, and Paul do not actually belong to us. They belong to God. We’re just the vehicles by which these remarkable people came to Earth.

Me a Jezebel??

After I blew-dry (?) my hair this morning, making the special effort to arrange my bangs with my fingers instead of a round brush per instructions from a hair stylist, I then applied a touch of eye shadow, a narrow line of charcoal eye liner, and some mascara. Then I smoothed on a light coat of ivory foundation and some blush. This, by the way, is a morning routine that I've engaged in with very little exception or variation for years. My mother wore make-up, and she was my primary role model; ergo, I wear make-up. I can picture her right now as she sat on a little stool in front of a lighted make-up mirror making herself presentable for the public. Let me change that to "more presentable" because she was a pretty lady without much need of embellishment. Still, she was a girlie girl and a great act to follow...or try to follow.

Back to the story. This morning as I was carefully applying my Mary Kay garnet frost lipstick, I had a flash of insight. "Oh my gosh, I'm a regular Jezebel with my coifed hair and painted face!" While she is far from being a woman greatly admired in the Bible, she is definitely one who can teach us a lesson or two. I don't think there's anything wrong or immoral with enhancing one's appearance. In fact, I think God delights in our taking care of what He gave us and in "prettifying" His creations as much as possible. To me, it shows respect for oneself and for all with whom we come in contact.

At the same time, there are a couple of lessons from Jezebel that are on my mind this morning. #1. Sometimes a person can cross the line and become so obsessed with physical appearance and beauty that she will resort to cosmetic surgery, expensive cosmetics, and extreme diet and exercise to look a certain way. These things are fine if not done to excess. Get your nose fixed, whiten your teeth, buy the age defying lotion, and pay attention to your diet. Just know when enough is enough. #2Jezebel's major downfall, in my opinion, is that she put Baal first. Yes, I know you don't worship Baal, but couldn't he be symbolic for any and everything that you put in front of God? It could be a car, a job, a relationship, a house in the Hamptons (just wanted to include that because I've read it so often!), sports, a hobby, tons of clothes and shoes, physical appearance, and a fat bank account.

So back to my insight while applying the garnet frost lipstick. Yes, I am a modern day Jezebel...or I could easily become that way. Since I don't want to be thrown from a window by my servants (ha ha...me with servants?) or devoured by dogs, I'm going to keep a closer watch on my thoughts and behaviors.

The Original Rubber Necker

I have lots more to say about Sarah, but today I’m thinking more about Lot’s wife. The story of her looking back for one last look has always seemed a little crazy to me. Crazy and cruel. Crazy for her to look back after God had clearly told her not to and cruel for God to actually turn her into a pillar of salt. But then again, she was human, a mere mortal like the rest of us who don’t always do what God tells us to do. We try, but sometimes we slip and fall just like Lot’s wife. (It bugs me that she doesn’t have a name…at least not in the scriptures). Still, what she did seems like such a minor infraction. A backwards glance, and she’s forever a chunk of sodium

There’s got to be an explanation. Why was God so emphatic about not looking back, and why did he mete out such severe punishment? After all, the ramifications of that act affected her entire family. Lot had no wife; his daughters had no mother. I used to think it was such an oft-repeated story because looking back is unhealthy? How can one move forward if she’s forever looking longingly at yesterday? Some people live so much in the land of Yesterday that they can’t enjoy the gift of the present or plan with hope for tomorrow.

Yesterday, however, I got an additional insight into Lot’s wife. I was stuck in traffic on I-20 in SC for about 30 minutes. When we moved at all, it was literally inching along and then stopping, inching along and then stopping. When we finally began moving again, I could see half a dozen highway patrol cars beside the highway with a banged up vehicle. The reason we were barely moving soon became apparent. People were slowly riding by “rubber necking” to see what was happening…or what had happened. For some reason, I thought of Lot’s wife. Could she have been one of the first known rubber neckers? Did she just want to have a look at what happened to Sodom? Was curiosity her downfall instead of a reluctance to move on?

Whatever the reason, Lot’s wife’s disobedience affected her entire family, and centuries later, we’re still learning lessons from her backwards glance. Do what God tells you and don’t look back.