How Hannah Gave Up Samuel

Hannah's story is one of the most moving in the Bible. She wept, fasted, and prayed with such intensity that the priest thought she was drunk. She asked for a child from the very depths of her soul. And when the child came — when Samuel was born — she did something no mother does by instinct: she gave him back to God.

"Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord." Imagine the strength that required. Imagine leaving your child at the temple, knowing he would grow up away from you. But Hannah knew something fundamental: Samuel was not hers. He belonged to God. She was the guardian, not the owner.

Your children are like this too. You love them, care for them, give your life for them — but they belong to God before they belong to you. This perspective doesn't diminish your love. It frees you from the weight of having to be God for them.

Today, tell God: "I lend my child to the Lord."