I Believe - My Ministry (Day 4)

4.  I believe that I must be willing to give up my children.

Hannah was barren for years and prayed fervently for a child (1 Samuel 1).  She promised the Lord that if He would give her a son, she would give him back to the Lord.  When the Lord answered her prayer and allowed Hannah to deliver a healthy son, Samuel, Hannah was faithful to see her promise through.  She kept Samuel until he was weaned and then delivered him to the Temple where she left him to be raised among the priests.  While she loved this little boy with all her heart and had prayed desperately for him, she knew that God wanted him to be raised in the Temple and so she did not stand in the way.  How hard that must have been for her to leave her little boy behind, knowing that she would only see him once a year.

My children are not my own, they are merely on loan to me from God.  One day, God willing, they will grow up, move on, and start lives of their own independent of my daily instruction.  I believe that I must take full advantage of each day I have with my children to instill Godly principles in them.  However, I must also remember that they were not given to me to fulfill my plans, but God's plans.  And, whatever God has planned for them, I must be willing to let go of my children and trust that God's plan is best.