Troubles and Heartaches

“I am very sad. I was only pouring out my troubles to the Lord.” 

1 Samuel 1:15

Hannah was very sad, in anguish even. She was one of the two wives of Elkanah. The other wife, Peninnah had children and she would cruelly taunt Hannah because Hannah had none. We all have troubles, don’t we? And sometimes they get magnified because of cruelty from others. There are so many depressing stories about how high school kids are driven to suicide because of other kids targeting them on social media. They are driven to taking their lives because they believe it’s the only way out of their terrible situation. 

Hannah had a husband who loved her. He said, “Why be so sad just because you have no children? You have me- isn’t that better than having 10 sons?” But Hannah did not think so and she went to the Tabernacle and prayed hard, so hard that the priest thought she was drunk! 

Eli the priest wanted to throw her out! “How long will you make a drunken show of yourself!” I can be like that sometimes, so unsympathetic and judgmental!  Poor Hannah had to tell Eli that she was only so desperate that she had to pour out her troubles to the Lord. If we are like Hannah, with so many challenges, we should focus on the Lord for He will surely hear and answer. We should also count our blessings, as her husband said, he loved her very much. When our hearts are filled with gratitude, there will be less space for our troubles. 

As I read this story of Hannah, I am reminded too that we should always always see others with compassion and empathy. We don’t always know what’s going on in our neighbors’, our classmates’, officemates’ lives. We should always, always practice kindness and try to do what we can to ease one another’s burdens.