All Things Being [Un]Equal

“He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.”

~1 Samuel 1:2

     Two women, same role, same husband, two different situations, two different realities. Peninnah and Hannah had many things in common: they were both married, as wives they had some similar roles, they even had the same husband; but there was one very drastic difference between the two women……. They had different purposes. I know; you thought I was going for the obvious answer, “one had children and the other didn’t.” But, nope; that’s not the major difference, that is a product of the major difference between these two women. These women had two very different purposes and two very different destinies and because of that, they had two very different realities.

     I know no one really wants to hear this message. Let’s just be brutally honest, I didn’t want to hear this message from God this morning; but God knows what we need and when we need it and as God is doing some MAJOR changing in my life He knew that this message was a reminder that I needed today and I’m certain someone else needs it too or else He wouldn’t have told me to write it out here on the blog. 🙂 The truth is that we are all on different paths with different purposes and different destinies. Think of our lives as one colossal system of interstates, highways and byways. While there are times when our interstates will intersect and even share the same roadway for a stretch, the truth is that we are still all on our own lifelong road trip and if we try to get to our destiny using someone else’s highway, we’ll never get there. You’re probably reading this like, “Angelique, are we talking about road tripping or are we talking about Hannah and Peninnah?” The answer is: both. While Hannah and Peninnah were both women they weren’t the same woman. While they were both wives, they weren’t called to be the same in their husband’s (Elkanah) life. Their roles were similar; but, ultimately, not the same. We know this because we learn in a later verse that Hannah had a very special place in Elkanah’s heart. But, for now, let’s just focus on this one verse. I wanna stay here because……. I need to.

     I need to be reminded that God has a plan for all of us and when Jeremiah delivered God’s Word in chapter 29 and verse 11 there was no exclusionary clause.  The verse doesn’t say, “I know the plans I have for every one, except Angelique,” it says, “I know the plans I have for you…” God knew that 2000+ years after his son died I would be reading his Word and would come across this verse and He wanted me to know that His Word, yes, even specifically that Word was and is true for me too.  Although I sometimes feel forgotten about and insignificant to people I am NEVER forgotten by God and I am NEVER insignificant to Him; and I know that because His sacrifice was too great to even think for a second that I mean nothing to Him. Although I sometimes feel invisible and ineffective God ALWAYS sees me (Genesis 16:13) and as long as I am doing what He has called me to do I am making an impact. I needed to be reminded that just like Hannah, although there may be people around me (peers, coworkers, friends, family) who are similar in some ways (age, vocation, etc.) to me, they are not me and I am not them. I was not called to fulfill their God-given purpose and if I live my life measuring what I have against what they have and what they do versus what I do I’ll never reach my God-given destiny and fully my God-given purpose; and I’ll never be satisfied with what God has given me, where He’s placed me and what He’s called me to do.

     Hannah was not supposed to have children at this point in life; and because she didn’t, people looked down on her. No doubt they talked about her and like Peninnah, taunted her. Hannah felt less of a woman and cursed because she didn’t have, at that point in life, what 1) everybody else thought she should have, 2) what apparently everyone else was able to have and 3) what she wanted and thought she should have. But, the fact is that God had a plan for Hannah and it was in full effect even in her pain and insecurity. Hannah was feeling unequal. She was feeling insignificant and small; but what God was about to do in and thru Hannah (and her son) was nothing short of miraculous. Remember that God starts His greatest works at the bottom of the barrel: Moses should’ve been killed as a child, Abraham lied out of fear, Jacob was a trickster, Rahab was a prostitute, David was an “insignificant” shepherd boy, Jeremiah thought he was too young, John the Baptist was a social outcast and Jesus was born in a stable among animals. But, God’s Word teaches us not to despise small beginnings (Zech 4:10).

     I may not be where I want to be in life. I may not have what I want to have or what I think I should have by now but I do have this one thing………. A Heavenly Father who knows the plans He has for me and they are plans to prosper me and not harm me; to give me a hope and a future. And while there are things I wish I had or places/positions that I wish I was given access to right now; I am reminded and fully convinced that God’s plan is in full effect in my life. Finally, I know one thing for certain and two things for sure: all things being unequal, God loves us all the same AND the story doesn’t end at verse 2! Hallelujah!

Bless God & God Bless,

THE Writer’s Pen, Angel

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