Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. (1 Samuel 2:19)

Hannah dedicated her son to God and followed through by placing Samuel in Eli the priest’s care and training. The separation must have been difficult. She and her husband when to see Samuel each year, and Eli would bless them. They would return home.

It’s as if Hannah continued to give over and over. She continued to sacrifice over and over. She chose to keep her commitment to God over and over. Yet it must have been tough.

We often have to let go of people in some ways, yet we can also provide for and connect with them even as we let go. We connect via memories and promises. We continue to move forward with a string that connects us to the past, not to keep us there but to also connect us to the future. We don’t camp under; we persevere through. We don’t stay in the moment but proceed into more.

How do you need to stay connected to your commitment to God despite (or because of) time and distance?