Pity Party

"Why are you crying, Hannah?"  Elkanah would ask.  "Why arent' you eating?  Why be downhearted just because you have no children?  You have me - isn't that better than having ten sons?"

1 Samuel 1:8

Hannah was going through a lot of turmoil and persecution from her husbands other wife.  She was unable to concieve a child and she was heartbroken.  What started out as a normal marriage (as normal as it can be when you share you husband with another wife) ended up painful and discouraging for Hannah.  She wanted so badly to have a child but year after year she was refused and the taunting continued.  Hannah was miserable and desperate to have a child of her own.  The words spoken to her by her husband reminded me of the pity parties we often find ourselves in.  Those times when we are encouraged to snap out of our sadness but we choose to stay there.  Her husband loved her so much and it broke his heart to see her so focused on one thing that she forgot the great love they shared.  He was trying so hard to remind her of the good things, although choosing himself may seem a little arrogant, he meant well by trying to get her mind off of the one thing she didn't have.  How often do we do the same thing as Hannah?  We get fixated on the one thing wrong and forget about the good things.  We fall into a pity party for ourselves and begin believing the lies satan tells us.  Hannah began to believe she was useless, that her love was inadequate for her husband because she could not give him a child.  She believed what society said about her and she fell into a depression.  Here her husband, who had every right to divorce her in those days, stayed with her because his love went deeper than man made laws.  His love for her could see past her bareness.  Hannah eventually walked away from her pity party.  She was able to pray to God and finally leave her pain and concern with God at the alter.  But only after years of living in sadness.  It's important that we all take this lesson from Hannah and grab hold of our true identity in Christ.  No matter who is making fun of us or what is going wrong in our lives we can always find something good.  There is always something to praise God for and there are always people who love us and want us to hand over our sadness and see them as a blessing in our lives.  Be thankful for what we have today instead of focusing on what we don't have.  

Continue reading 1 Samuel Chapter 1 to hear the whole story of Hannah. 

God's Blessings!