My devotional thought for today

Here is a portion of the reading from my daily devotional during this Advent season:

"'Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.' She left Samuel there. "--1 Sam 1:28

Hannah presented her son Samuel to the Lord in the temple. Mary presented her son Jesus to the Lord as well. By so doing, these two women were dedicating the lives of their sons to the work of the Lord. Further, this ritual gesture meant that both Hannah and Mary understood that all life came from God and belonged to God. These presentations expressed their belief in that fact.

The conventional wisdom of our culture maintains that our children, our property, our life itself, basically belong to us. We are, as it were, absolute owners. Thus we can do with our relationships and possessions what we deem fit.

Hannah and Mary had a different take on life. Everything is a gift. All is grace. We are stewards of our time, of our children, and of ourselves. One day we will have to give an accounting of what we have done with the years, people, and things the Lord has entrusted to us. Thus we see the wisdom of Hannah and Mary: immediately they professed that all belongs to the Lord and because of that they dedicated their sons to God's will.

The Lord indeed did great things for Hannah and Mary. The Lord does great things for us. We are given life, a variety of talents, different opportunities and challenges that can enrich our lives. Our initial response should be one of generosity. What has been given is to be shared.

Advent is drawing to a close. We have but a few days to complete our preparations for the feast of the Nativity. What better way might we do this than by kneeling before God and turning over to God everything that we have and are. Besides, it all belongs to God. But by our presentation, we acknowledge our creaturehood and come to a deeper understanding of our responsibility to be good stewards.


Prayer:
God, source of all life, help us to understand that all is gift. Every breath we take, every day and year, all our friends and family---all come from you and to you must return. May we be good stewards of all that has been given to us and may we be generous in sharing all your gifts with others.

Source:
Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas 2008-2009
By: Robert F. Morneau