{"id":4442,"date":"2025-07-26T10:13:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T10:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arisesister.com\/?p=4442"},"modified":"2025-07-26T10:29:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T10:29:28","slug":"woman-the-loved-and-deprived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arisesister.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/woman-the-loved-and-deprived\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman: The Loved and Deprived"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is love enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women, think about that for a moment. If that person who doesn\u2019t love you back did, would that be enough? If your children loved u completely and never disobeyed or dishonored you, would that be enough? The love of your spouse\/ family\/ friends is that enough? What about your love for your vices, your accolades, would that suffice? Let us explore the answer together by looking at the lives of two women in the bible, Rachel and Hannah, and no, this is not a loved versus unloved kind of situation; both were very beautiful and very much loved, yet their stories echo lessons that we most certainly must learn and live by even in our generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel,<\/strong> the wife of Jacob, was so beautiful, more so than her sister Leah (Gen 29:17),<\/em> and had won the affection and attention of the man she wanted. What more was left? Get married, make babies, and have a happy, full life. Right? Wrong. Life took a different turn for her, and she ended up being the second wife (second to her sister) and therefore of less social standing and lower on the food chain with regards to inheritance. In addition to that, she could not have children; she was barren. Talk about a huge speed bump. Her husband loved her dearly and preferred her (quite publicly, I might add) to her sister, and I am sure she loved him too, but was that enough? I think if we insert ourselves into this story with slightly different variables or circumstances, we can greatly relate to it. It is a story told by countless women and men \u2013 I had it all, then I had nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannah<\/strong>, wife of Elkanah, was deeply loved (1Sam chpt 1<\/em>). As part of a polygamous marriage, it is believed by some bible scholars that she was the first wife, and Peninnah was the second. Peninnah possibly came in because Hannah remained barren for a long time. However, Hannah endured mockery and insults from Peninnah and, quite possibly, her peers. This was a very difficult thing to endure year after year. But her husband loved her so much that her barren situation was not of great importance to him, and he even asked her, \u201cDon\u2019t I mean more to you than 10 sons?\u201d)<\/em> When she fell into a deep depression and refused to eat (1Sam 1) 8<\/em>. How many men in recent times are willing to make that statement in the face of childlessness? But, however grand his comfort, was this enough? Should she not have been complacent at that point and said; Well, if my husband is okay with it, then I should let this go. Many women might have given up and chosen that path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel eventually fell into an unending cycle of jealousy and competition with her sister; letting her husband sleep with her maid and she even threated Jacob with death if he did not give her children (sadly still a common thing in our society today, with husbands and family threatening women both verbally and psychologically as if this was a one man\u2019s jo<\/em>b)<\/em>. Eventually, God remembered Rachel and blessed her with children of her own- Joseph and his brother Benjamin. However, Rachel\u2019s mindset never shifted from \u2018hurt\u2019, \u2018Jealous\u2019, \u2018victim\u2019, \u2018Battle\u2019. She remained in this cycle, and it even showed in the way she named the children God gave her. She died during childbirth with that mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannah, on the other hand, being pushed to the point past sadness, cried out to God in such complete abandon (1Sam 1: 12-14) that his priest Eli thought she was drunk. Imagine what that might have looked like. Hannah\u2019s mindset was completely different. She was depressed, but in that dark place and from that pain, she turned to God and cried out to him. When the son came, she received him with gratitude, even though she knew she had to give him up. Her obedience to God unlocked God\u2019s blessings, and she eventually had five more children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuggets for your spirit to chew on.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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