Tag: children

Women in the Bible: Hannah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 8, 2018
2 Comments on Women in the Bible: Hannah

Hannah longs to have children but is childless. Adding to her misery, she’s harassed by everyone around her.

Though, she is her husband’s (Elkanah) favorite wife he dismisses her infertility and fails to protect her from verbal assaults from his other wife, Peninnah, who endlessly torments her.

Then, when she prays in earnest, Eli, the priest, accuses her of being drunk. Hannah’s life is in constant turmoil.

At her breaking point, Hannah cries out to God. She begs him for a son. In return, she promises to give him to God for a lifetime of service.

Unlike everyone else, God understands Hannah. He answers her plea, giving her a son, Samuel, just as she requested. She responds by singing to God: celebrating his power, the elevation of the oppressed, and the abasement of those overly confident.

A few lines of her ode may be digs at Peninnah, her chief tormentor.

After Samuel is weaned, Hannah presents him to Eli for a lifetime of service to God, just as she promised. Each year when she and her family make their pilgrimage to the temple, she sees young Samuel and gives him a new robe.

God then blesses Hannah with five more children.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Samuel 1-4 and today’s post is on 1 Samuel 1:19-20.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags children, family, Hannah, Women of the Bible

Bible Insights

Women in the Bible: Ruth

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 21, 2018

Ruth is Loyal to God and to Her Mother-In-Law

Ruth is a widow and foreigner who remains faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She leaves her family to follow Naomi to Israel. The reason for her loyalty to her mother-in-law is a mystery, since Naomi is a bitter woman at this time.

However, Ruth also expresses a devotion to God.

When they return, she goes out to glean grain, at great physical risk, so she and Naomi will have some food. The young widow finds favor with Boaz, who knows of her fine reputation.

Naomi sets about to find another husband for her widowed daughter-in-law, targeting Boaz and developing a strategy to bring that about. The result is capturing Boaz’s attention.

He sets out to make Ruth his wife, deftly dealing with another possible suitor.

Boaz and Ruth marry. She has her first child, Obed. Obed is the father of Jesse, the father of David. That makes her the great grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus.

Let’s review: Ruth’s loyalty to her mother-in-law and God rewards her. She marries again, is saved from poverty, and has a son.

As a result, she’s later honored by Matthew who includes her in the family tree of Jesus, one of only four women mentioned.

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Boaz, children, family, King David, poverty, Ruth, Women of the Bible

Christian Living

Who Would Like to Pray?

Let Us Pray

Recently my wife and I were hanging out with friends, good friends, the best. The time we spend together is always a spiritual experience. As we immerse ourselves in each other’s presence, God joins us.

We don’t realize time’s passing, only becoming aware of the hour after seeking out a clock. The dinner hour snuck up on us. We order pizza—not because we are hungry as much as we know we should eat.

Soon we’re sitting at the table. “Who would like to pray?” our host asks. With little hesitation, their oldest, a preteen girl offers. We bow our heads but she doesn’t launch into a flurry of words; she pauses.

When sufficiently ready, she prays, not a memorized petition or spewing phrases of rote familiarity, but considered words appropriate to the situation. When finished, we thank her and nod our approval, but no one lunges for food; we wait.

“Does anyone else want to pray?” Her brother and sister both do, but her sister speaks first. We bow again. She prays, too. Her brother is next. These kids know how to approach the Almighty. Their parents have taught them well.

Only the youngest has not participated. “Do you want to pray?” his mom asks him. He nods. He’s not yet talking much so I wonder what he might say. Like his siblings, he prays from his heart; his few words surely bless God.

We affirm his prayer, just as we did for his older brother and sisters. Only then do we consider the food before us.

As I savor my first slice of pizza, I contemplate what just happened.

These kids want to pray. They place prayer over food and their siblings’ turns over their stomachs. Their reverence inspires me.

The prayers they offer are not a performance for people but communication with their Father in heaven.

May I be more like them.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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Tags children, food, prayer

Christian Living

The Next Generation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 29, 2013

On September 11, while others in the United States remembered the anniversary of a national tragedy, my wife and I celebrated the birth of our first grandson.

I waited a long time for him, not with any sense of urgency but with much anticipation for the joy his arrival would bring.

Now he’s here, and I’m reminded once again of the awesomeness of life. And although biased, I think he’s the most beautiful baby ever.

In seeing him, I’m mindful that babies don’t come with an instruction manual. Though my daughter and her husband have prepared well and are doing a great job, I know they will learn some things only through experience and after a few errors.

Surely, they will make a some mistakes along the way, just as their respective parents did in raising them.

When my grandson was one week old, I asked his parents what surprised them the most so far. For my daughter it was the realization of just how important sleep was; my son-in-law voiced surprise over the amount of time a baby requires.

I remember my trepidation when I first held my daughter; I scarcely breathed for fear she might break. Each evening I gave her a bottle, and then she fell asleep in my arms. Later, I did the same for her brother.

However, when I first held my grandson, there was no apprehension, only excitement. My parent skills came back to me quickly. This is a delightful phase in my life. I relish having grandchildren.

Although I like having grandchildren, the idea of being a grandfather is jarring. I suspect, though, that will all change in an instant, at that future moment when my grandson looks up at me and says for the first time, “Grandpa.”

And my heart will melt.

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Tags awesome, children

Christian Living

Married with Children

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 13, 2013

Most churches in the United States structure themselves around the nuclear family. The mindset of these churches assumes married couples; their programming assumes children.

While covering the majority of attendees in most congregations, this ignores several overlooked groups.

First, there are childless couples. Some are childless by circumstance.

Each time there’s a plea to serve in the nursery, another couple gets pregnant, or the church celebrates a baby’s arrival, a painful jab reminds them their life lacks something they desperately desire.

For couples who are childless by choice, life at most churches is a constant reminder that they’re different, don’t fit in, and are somehow less than those who procreate.

An even bigger overlooked group is singles. This is not just one category, however. “Singles” is an uninformed label that encompasses all unmarried adults, people with different needs, situations, and perspectives.

Some are single by choice and others by circumstances, be it through death, divorce, or breakup.

Of those who are single because of life’s situations, some earnestly desire a special someone in their life, others are broken and need a place to heal, and a few simply wonder what they should do next.

These singles seek relationship, though for some it is platonic and others it is romantic.

For those single by choice, most of the church doesn’t understand their decision, despite it being a biblically affirmed and even preferred option.

The married with children crowd cannot fathom someone choosing to remain single—and they communicate their bewilderment, either directly or subtly, but always with hurtful and condemning results.

Then are those who struggle with their sexual identity or fall outside traditional expectations. Most churches simply push these folks away, rejecting them by their words or through their actions.

This leaves them with no faith community and the implication that God has no place for them either. Then they seek solace elsewhere and retreat there, often without God.

But God loves all people.

He loves the childless, the single, and the marginalized just as much as he loves the married with children crowd. And we who are married with children need to accept, embrace, and love all people, just as Jesus did.

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Tags children, family

Christian Living

Raising Puppies and Kids

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 3, 2013

Last month I wrote about our grandpuppy Zane, our daughter and son-in-law’s eight-pound bundle of delight. Zane, however, is not our only grandpuppy. Our son and his wife, also have a dog, Maximus Decimus Meridius. Max for short.

Max is our first grandpuppy, a beautiful Husky. At three years old, he’s actually no longer a puppy, but a full-grown adult – though at times he still acts like a free-spirited pup. Exuberant may best describe him and at times, impetuous, too.

Last Christmas these “cousins” met for the first time.

Zane, at a fraction of Max’s height and weight, was understandably cautious. Although Max likes to play rough, he somehow knew he should be gentle with Zane and held back. It wasn’t long, however, before Zane’s confidence grew.

He’d scoot up to his older and bigger cousin, taunt him, and then make a hasty retreat to where Max couldn’t follow. We had an amusing time watching their antics.

Both dogs are well loved and cared for but have been raised differently. One graduated from multiple puppy classes, enjoys carefully selected toys, and is sometimes doted upon.

The other, although not lacking needed care and attention, has enjoyed a less structured life and has parents that are more tolerant.

I wonder if our kids’ present puppy-rearing styles portend their future child-raising tendencies.

When I shared this wondering with a friend, she recoiled in alarm. Her care for her dog today, she hopes, is quite different from what will be her care for her children tomorrow.

Although interesting to ponder, this is more of an academic question for me.

Regardless of how our future grandchildren are raised, we will love them unconditionally, just as we equally appreciate both our grandpuppies, despite their differences.

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Tags children

Christian Living

Leave a Legacy

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 14, 2013

A legacy is something handed down from a predecessor. Yesterday in my blog about writing I shared ideas for leaving a legacy through words.

Even more important is leaving a spiritual legacy, of making a godly impression on people today and generations tomorrow. This starts at home, with family, and extends to friends, rippling out to other places and times.

Train Our Children

Through our words, actions, and priorities, we show our children what’s important to us. They’ll learn what we teach, so we need to teach the right things in the best possible way.

Moses offered wise advice, doing this “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up,” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19).

Pray For Others

Jesus valued prayer, making it the primary component of all he did. We should do the same, praying not only for ourselves but also for others. Prayers can have a lasting impact, even an eternal one.

Support the Best Causes

There are many good causes with noble intents, yet with limited resources, we must choose the best areas to invest our time and money.

When done well, our impact can be significant, resulting in changed lives now and building the means to do so later.

In additional, how and where we use our time and invest our funds speaks loudly about our priorities, so our choices provide an example for others to follow.

Leave a Testament

A friend recently shared that today’s culture has forgotten the “testament” part of “last will and testament.”

Originally intended as written direction for a person’s family upon his or her death, it provided a means to leave final instructions.

Although wise to begin sharing our testament while alive, preparing a last testament could have a continuing impact on our family’s future.

Let’s first make sure we leave a spiritual legacy and then strive to make it a great one: lasting and significant.

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Tags children, pray