Hannah longed and prayed for a child, and was so in earnest in her praying that it seemed to Eli the priest that she was either under the influence of wine or in a trance. Her prayer was heard and God granted her the privilege of holding a son in her arms. If ever a child was loved, Samuel was the one.
Hannah's unselfish and sacrificial devotion to her church, however, transcended that of even a mother's longing to have her child of love constantly by her side. Somehow she sensed that God's cause needed a leader, a man nurtured and schooled to serve in sacred ministry. She would return the boy to God for spiritual leadership in the cause she loved.
Upon lending him to the Lord she made him a little coat—one that fitted him perfectly—with every stitch in it a stitch of love. One can envision the smile upon her face as she thought of his little shoulders, the breadth across his chest, how far around his waist, and the length of his arms. He was a little boy at that time, so the coat could not be too big—it had to be just the right size.
Imagine your coat on a little boy, or actually try it on him. You say that is a foolish thing to do; it will not fit—the arms are too long, the length will drag the floor, the shoulders are too broad. He will become entangled and stumble, and will not be able to walk or play. Surely a coat too large would be a handicap to any little lad. The large coat of an adult is for one who has grown older in years, whose shoulders are broad, whose understanding is mature.
As the year passed by, Hannah made Samuel another coat, a size larger, of course, than the first one, for he had grown considerably. And so each succeeding year she fitted him with a garment of the right size. The time came when his coat was as large as any man's.
Why should one attempt to take the Christian concepts and experiences of an adult and try to place them around the shoulders of a child? They do not fit him. His mind and his understanding cannot be like that of his father. He is only a youth. Yet his love for Jesus, his apprehension of truth, his perception of the will of his heavenly Father, may be as pure and sweet, as rich and as full, as any child may have. The Master said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein" (Luke 18:16,17). A child may be fitted with a spiritual experience that is suitable, adequate, just the right size, even as was Samuel's little coat.
May we always be cognizant of the spiritual balance between the child and the man. This will help us to understand youth and enable us to be more skillful in our relationships with children. How satisfying and wonderful for a child to have a coat of the proper size—a message of truth he can discern, a gospel of salvation he can recognize and fully receive. Each maturing year of his life his spiritual garment should be fashioned larger and larger as he grows. One day it will be the experience of a man, but for the little one now—"his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year" (1 Sam. 2:19).
