Best Job Ever

My younger son was updating my smart phone, and there was a security question. "What is your favorite job?" he read to me, his hands resting on the keyboard of his computer. "Oh!" I shouted with enthusiasm, and he was a little startled. "Mom! Being a mom is my favorite job." We both laughed. It's true. I have big dreams and big plans for me, before I leave this planet. But nothing I ever do could be as important or as fulfilling as being a mother.

I wanted to be a mother from the time I was around 21. I craved motherhood. I longed for children. I did not come to motherhood via the usual route. My two sons are my stepchildren. What a joy. What an honor. What a privilege to help raise these two wonderful young men to adulthood, and to continue to be a part of their lives. Being a mom was everything I had hoped for, and more.

In the sacred writings of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, you can read about a prophet and a seer named Samuel. He was a man of faith who made the lives of those around him better with his generosity and kindness. He was the last Judge of Israel, an influential but humble man who had a mother named Hannah.

Samuel almost never happened. Let me tell you the story. One of two wives at a time when polygamy was the norm, Hannah was infertile while the other wife had many sons and daughters. Nothing was understood about infertility back then. It was called being barren. Some thought God had shut up Hannah's womb. It was shameful to not have any children. Maybe a curse. Who knew?

Hannah wanted more than anything to have a child. She prayed continually to no avail. She bargained with God, promising that if she had a baby she would dedicate him to God. She would become so distraught over it that she couldn't eat. Her husband was hurt that she was hurting, and to tell the truth, his feelings were a little hurt. "I love you, Hannah," he would say. "You know you're my favorite wife. Isn't my love enough for you?" Honestly, it wasn't enough. I think some men (not all certainly, but some men) don't understand us women when it comes to children.

One day, Hannah was in the temple praying for a child. She was very emotional, yet no sound came out of her mouth, as her lips moved. The priest Eli, sure she was drunk, approached her and told her to leave. Being drunk in church. Disgusting. Then she poured out her heart to him, and Eli understood. He joined Hannah in prayer. She was soon calm and confident that she would have a baby. She even felt well enough to eat. Eli had not only heard her, but he understood her heart's desire.

Hannah went home and she conceived a child, a boy named Samuel, which means, "God has heard." Hannah was true to her promise. When Samuel was three years old, she took him to Eli and left him there to live so that he could receive his religious instruction. Hannah didn't regard Samuel as her possession. She allowed him to fulfill his destiny. She did everything she could to make sure this little boy would become everything he could be. She loved generously and unselfishly, and her son grew to be a man who blessed many people. She was happy to share Samuel with the world.

Women are rarely even called by name in ancient scripture, and very little is known about Hannah and what else she did with her life. But knowing what I know about her, I think just being known as Samuel's mother is enough for Hannah. More than enough.

Susan


.