Session 35

What if your kids aren’t really yours?

From 1 Samuel: A 6-Week Devotional

Tickle Me Elmo, Motorola StarTAC, and Super Nintendo were all must-have items at one point. When we got them, we thought we had everything we ever wanted. We could not dream of giving these things up. As badly as we wanted the latest game system or as bad as we want the next iPhone or Apple Watch, Hannah wanted Samuel more.  

Hannah prayed and wept for Samuel. But after Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him to live with the priests. The idea of dropping off the child you longed for might seem crazy. But Samuel’s birth fulfilled a vow Hannah made to God:

“Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).

Every parent is held responsible for how we love and lead the children God places in our care.

To Elkanah and Hannah, bringing Samuel to the temple was a matter of returning to God what was already His.

We often think of our kids as ours, but parenting is ultimately a lesson in stewardship. Our children belonged to God first and have been entrusted to us. Hannah and Elkanah’s faithfulness was tested early in their parenting journey: Would she really follow through on her vow? But eventually, every parent is held responsible for how we love and lead the children God places in our care.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

As parents, we cannot take lightly the role of guiding our children. There is an indescribable joy in seeing your child accomplish a goal, whether it is sitting up or graduating from school. But the best guidance we can give our children is to point them to the Savior they will one day see face-to-face (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Reflect:

• How would your children describe you? What are your actions teaching them about who Jesus is?
• Hannah prayed for Samuel often. Is there anything you can pray for your child about today?
• What’s one way you can be a good steward of the opportunities God has given you as a parent?