Samson

I'm sure I have heard the story of Samson many times over the years, but I decided to read it again after having a discussion about Samson with Noly & Jule's Pediatrician. There is a certain intrigue in me for any woman in the Bible who had a child after being barren (as the Bible puts it). I knew that Sara, Rebecca, Rachel and Elisabeth had all been barren, but I hadn't realized that Samson's mom was too. These women, like many women today, understood what I went through in my years of infertility. They understood feeling hopeless and desperate, and they also understood what it was like to have a child after years of infertility...the excitement and joy, the fulfillment of a promise.

As I was reading about Samson, I was thinking about how an angel came to Samson's mother and told her to set him apart for God. She was not to cut his hair or drink wine while she was pregnant. I started thinking about how I can set my children apart for God. Of course, it is always my desire to teach them to walk with Him, but how can I set them apart for Him? Today is not like it was thousands of years ago. Noly has already had tons of hair trimmings and I have already had to cut some major knots out of the back of Jule's thick head of curls. So, how do I set them apart? I don't think I really have an answer except to do the best I can to teach them both about Who God is and how much He loves them, to be sensitive to opportunities to teach them about His Word, and to teach them to live their lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.

On a particularly rough evening with Jule, I was alone with the kids and nearing a breakdown. Out of the blue, Noly started singing while she was eating...."Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so." It melted me to a point that I was almost weeping, and I'm not a person who cries much. God used my little girl to remind me that He loved me and cared about me. I pray that, as she grows, she continues to know the love of a Savior.