Gospel Reflections #882: A mirror of self-sacrifice

1 Samuel 1:20 "Because she had prayed for him from the Lord, she named him Samuel (which means 'God hears')."

Hannah had prayed for a child for a long time.

For the first three years after Samuel was born, Hannah raised him with the utmost care, nurturing his ability to discern between good and evil.

Through everything around him,

she sought to guide Samuel's heart toward the Creator.

This was Hannah's response to God answering her prayer.

Hannah prayed to the faithful God, knew He had heard her, and desired to respond faithfully to Him in turn.

Thus, Hannah did not claim her child as her own possession, but accepted him as one to be used by God.

We humans are ultimately self-centered, always putting ourselves first. Yet when we experience God's unfathomable grace, we begin to desire to align ourselves with His will rather than our own.

A mother is a mirror of self-sacrifice.

Surely this is because mothers are given the role of being those who resemble God.

Even though we are imperfect and inadequate, perhaps we are placed in this world as those who are meant to resemble God.

God begins everything, and God completes it!

We simply respond faithfully to God's work.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.