Strong Women Run In My DNA: The Story of Hannah
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Thank you Newsstand Studio at 1 Rockefeller Plaza for providing a place for me to record this episode for y’all! No more Brooklyn closet recording!!!
This week is a solo show— just you and me, babe! This could potentially be a 5-part series, but I wanted to see how you liked it first because your opinion matters in all things TRC, friend! This is a community and you have a voice. So DM me on IG (@therefinedcollective), email me (info@therefinedwoman.com), comment over on Patreon...and let me know if you want more of this series!
As the title suggests… Strong women run in my DNA.
My dad’s mother, my Gaw Gaw, was a realtor and business owner. She was always starting new business ventures in the 60s.
My mom’s mother, my grandma, was a stay at home mom and traveled all over the world. She primarily solo raised her four children because her husband, my grandfather, was always off in wars. She was also an incredible artist who would sketch fashion for brands and newspapers.
My own mom is a fiery, passionate, opinionated woman. When my parents got divorced and she didn’t have a college degree, she took care of and provided for her four children almost single-handedly with a part-time job working retail and teaching herself how to invest into the stock market.
I am a strong woman. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I am a woman of strength. I do not hide in the shadows. I am out there and I have things to say.
But for so long, my femininity has felt like a liability. Both in my work and in church.
It almost felt as though to be a Christian I had to downplay who God created me to be: a strong, opinionated, loud, leader of a woman.
I played the game for a long time. But I finally got to a point where I wanted to search the scriptures for myself and figure out if there’s another option other than what society and church tells me my femininity is.
So today I want to explore Hannah’s story in the Bible.
Hannah’s Legacy
1 Samuel 1:19 // “And God remembered Hannah”
Hannah’s debut in the Bible is a declaration of her barrenness— her infertility is a tender part of her story.
And she lived in a time where women had no rights. Marriage’s rooted in love, honor, and respect were not a thing.
Her pain became enmeshed in her identity. What if your biggest heartbreak, your biggest source of shame and insecurity is the thing you were known for and your own family made fun of you for it? Maybe you’ve lived this pain.
Hannah would offer sacrifices to the Hebrew God. She would weep and cry out to God for a child.
Instead of shaming her, Eli blesses her and prays with her for her miracle.
She doesn’t get immediately pregnant, but this experience lifted the fog of depression she was experiencing.
She went on to have 6 children. She named her first child Samuel, which means “God heard.”
God hears us. He is moved to compassion and action on our behalf. Our prayers don’t go into the abyss.
Some questions to reflect on:
What’s the most painful part of your story?
What would it feel like for that to be what you’re known for?
In what ways do you think Hannah exhibits strength as a woman?
In what ways is Hannah’s femininity her greatest asset?
What is the thing in your life you are begging God for? The breakthrough that feels impossible.
Lay out the cries of your heart before God.
Resources
Listen to TRC Ep 048: How to Praise Before Our Breakthrough here.
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