Tiny Clothes

Then Hannah prayed and said: 'My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord;? there is no one besides you;?there is no Rock like our God.'” —1 Samuel 2:1–2 NIV"

I recently found myself surrounded by tiny clothes, bawling my eyes out. I was sorting through bags of my oldest son’s clothes looking for hand-me-downs that would fit his younger brother. As I sorted through mountains of little boy clothes, I was suddenly struck by how quickly the time was passing.

All that nostalgia got me thinking about a gal who knew a thing or two about little clothes.

In 1 Samuel 2:19 we read, “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.”

Here’s the backstory: Hannah desperately wanted a child. She prayed and prayed for one. In fact, she vowed that if God would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord’s service (1 Sam. 1:11). He answered her prayer and gave her a son she named Samuel. Hannah did what few moms would have the courage to do. After weaning her long-hoped-for son, she kept her vow to the Lord and gave him up to live in the temple. On the day she dropped her son off at the temple, Hannah prayed this prayer:

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord;?there is no one besides you;?there is no Rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:1–2 NIV).

Even though her mothering circumstances were difficult, Hannah chose to rejoice in her role as a mother.

From then on, she only saw Samuel once a year when she would visit the temple to make an annual sacrifice. Like any mother would, she always made sure he had a warm coat to wear. I’m sure the fact that it is described as a “little robe” isn’t an accident. All mothers know the significance of tiny clothes. They are precious reminders of how small our babies once were. They smell like new life and remind us of rocking chairs, first smiles, and 3:00 a.m. feedings.

Tiny clothes also remind us that we all have a choice as we mother. We can be thankful for the laundry, because it represents little lives entrusted to us. Or we can complain about dirty clothes and miss the point completely.

Will you thank God for your children this week?

Action Step: Make a thankful basket.

Using permanent marker, write out 1 Samuel 2:1–2 on the bottom of your laundry baskets (facing up into the basket). As you do laundry, pray this passage as a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Let laundry become a reminder that even under difficult circumstances, your children and their tiny clothes are a blessing.

A Mom’s Prayer: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you;?there is no Rock like our God.”

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