Little Robes

I was reading in 1 Samuel yesterday and a particular verse caught my attention. It is probably one of the sweetest verses I've ever read about a mother and her son. Hannah had given Samuel over to the Lord at a young age. She prayed desperately for this child, and when God gave him to her she surrendered him, allowing him to stay with Eli, the priest, so that he could enter the priesthood. She would go up to see him every year at the time of the sacrifice. From a young age, Samuel learned what it meant to minister before God. The Bible says:

"But Samuel was ministering before the LORD -a boy wearing a linen ephod. Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice." (1 Samuel 2:18-19)

I can just imagine young Samuel wearing the ephod- a special garment that was reserved for priests alone. I wondered if he wore a full sized one- did it nearly touch the floor? or did he have a special one that was just his size? I'm sure a Bible scholar somewhere could answer that for me. But what struck me about these verses was this: "Each year his mother made him a little robe..." How sweet! I just can't get over that!

Hannah not only surrendered her son to God, allowing him to fulfill his calling in life, but she supported him in it. Her support was tangible. She used her talents and abilities to help her son along as he learned all of the ins and outs of his ministry. I am sure that Samuel could have found a robe in his size where he was- surely there were robe makers. But his mother still labored away to make him a little robe each year.

This scripture triggered something in my heart. I'm still processing through it- I am an outward processor, so much of what I write here will be just that... my mind and heart trying to process what I'm feeling. Back to the point. Something was triggered. I don't know what God has in store for my children yet. I haven't even met Matthew face to face, much less any other kiddos we might have. I do know, however, that Jeremiah 29:11 holds true for each of them: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you a future and a hope.'" God has a plan for each of them. It is my job as a mother to "make little robes" per se. Let me explain.

As a mother, I should be covering my children, just as a robe covered Samuel. I must cover them in prayer, cover them in love and cover them with sound doctrine and good teaching. Also, I believe I must look for ways to tangibly support my children in their callings. Not everyone knows their calling in life as early as Samuel. Hey, some of us moms are still trying to figure it out! But as mothers we often see God-given potential in our kids. We might see that they connect well with the elderly, that they have a heart for the weakest kid on the playground, or that they simply love to share life with everyone they meet. My question is, "How can I tangibly help my child learn how to minister to God's people?" Can I buy Capri Sun's and help her pass them out on a hot day at the playground? Can I take her to a nursing home to pass out candy? Could I encourage her to befriend the kid who sits invisibly while others play tag?

This doesn't come easily. If we are to support our children as they fulfill God's calling in their lives, it will mean sacrifice on our parts. We must allow ourselves to be stretched; to get out of our comfort zones. I remember a pastor's story once about his children. They were in the car and saw a homeless man sitting by the street. The kids said something to the effect of "Daddy, let's go pray for that man and tell him about Jesus." The pastor was in a hurry and didn't want to stop, but knew that if he kept driving it would teach his children the wrong lesson. So, they turned around, told the man about Jesus and prayed with him. The pastor learned that day that if he wanted to teach his kids to follow Jesus whole-heartedly, then he would have to get out of his comfort zone (and his convenience-zone) to show them how to do it.

We must, like Hannah, let go. As she states in 1 Samuel 1:27-28a, "'I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.'"

What a tough but rewarding task! To make a little robe; to support our children tangibly with whatever talents and resources God has given us! I am not saying it's easy, or that it should be. I'm also not claiming to be an expert. Don't get me wrong. These are thoughts I'm processing, not lessons I have mastered. My prayer is that God will help us moms to support our children in the things God has called them to do, whether it be something simple, like helping them pray for a friend or something more heart-wrenching like eventually watching them move overseas as a foreign missionary. Dr. James Dobson says that parenthood is not for the faint-of-heart. He's so right. It is a long, painful, joyous journey out of selfishness.