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Most women of a certain age and pretty much all men of any age do not expect to find themselves pregnant. It seems safe to say that. No fear of contradiction or offense as I am not making any judgement here. Yet pregnant we are . . . pregnant with possibilities. Each of us in any given moment can and will make decisions that will impact our future and the futures of others in small and even big ways. It is a power (a super power?) we all have. However, as the late Stan Lee observed through his Spiderman character, “With great power comes great responsibility!” The corollary, as Peter Parker AKA Spiderman, realizes with great responsibility comes great anxiety. Who are we? What are we expected to do? What if it all goes wrong? These are questions we all struggle with in our youth and, for many of us, well beyond. Sometimes it seems the best thing to do is have someone else make the decisions . . . especially the big ones! And we all need that kind of comfort occasionally. As a lifestyle, however, it can lead us to suffer the negative consequences of other people’s decision making. Not to decide in a moment pregnant with possibilities is, in fact, a decision to accept whatever becomes of that non-decision. Knowing the stories of our faith and the wisdom that can be found there can be an invaluable guide to making good decisions – if we don’t get hung up with trying to be the judge of everyone and everything based on what we find in the Bible. The Bible in its wisdom, properly discerned, warns us against judging others and being more careful about our own decisions. It can also help us develop a loving and caring attitude toward ourselves, our neighbours globally, and God and God’s creation that will help us make decisions with a lot less anxiety.
This Sunday we are going to take a look at the story of Hannah in the Bible. You can read part of the story in 1 Samuel 1: 4-20 and the rest of the story in 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 . It is a story of decision and consequence as Hannah, longing to have a child to no avail, promises God that if she has one she will raise him according to a very strict religious order. When she conceives she is delighted and sings a song of joy and expectation. She sees her child becoming one who will turn the world upside down and raises Samuel accordingly after he is born. Well I guess it is better to read the story (and don’t get hung up on some of the names!) and keep reading through I and II Samuel to get the whole picture, one that has global consequences even to this very day.
Take care out there,
Paul