Hannah the praying woman in the bible was barren and she labored before God for a man child. In those times, birthing a boy was one of the most significant things a woman could do. After years of laboring before the Lord, her petition was granted and Hannah conceived Samuel. God heard Hannah the first time she prayed, but His delay grieved her but God does what He wants to do when He gets ready to do it.

When Samuel was a boy, Hannah took him to the Priests temple so he could grow up and be mentored in the ways of the Lord. The very thing Hannah wanted so desperately she was willing to give back to God. Now, one would think that after years of praying for a son that she would have smothered him and had him right under her apron strings. Hannah did the complete opposite of that. She obviously in the womb knew that Samuel was called to something greater than her existence. She relinquished any desires she may have had for her son personally so he could be free to be who God ordained for him to be.

This account came to mind today as I am in the early stages of planning Hannah's dedication service. I am thinking about Hannah Alexandria's destiny and asking God to reveal to me who she is so I can prepare her accordingly. Her name means Favored, Graceful Defender of Mankind. Is she a Supreme Court Justice, President of the Free World, or the next great Woman of Faith that will introduce millions to God's love and grace? It is one of the requests I constantly make to the Father. I want to make sure I am in sync with my children and that I know who HE has declared them to be and be careful not to mold them into who I want them to be.

As I prepare for this sacred event, I am quiet. It will take place in my grandmother's church. A praying sanctified woman in her own right that never raised her voice or had an unkind word to say about anyone. The sermon will be preached from my Grand Father's bible. An ordained minister of the Gospel. The hymns will be sung by a choir that that know first hand the delivering POWER of God. While we are there, I will make sure we visit my grandmothers land so she can witness a Matriarchal inheritance. The acres and acres that my grandmother owned, was given to her by her mother. A woman who owned land and had her own farm and cattle a generation or so from slavery speaks volumes about "the kind of kin women" Hannah comes from.

She inherits such a rich tradition of Faith and a generational anointing. She will be there in her beautiful white satin dress shaking her tambourine and wiggling her little feet. Hannah loves worship. I cannot sit down with her during Praise and Worship at church. She wants to stand the entire time. She claps her and raises her hands and often is found giving her own sermon when the preacher is preaching. A few times I have had to take her out because she is out talking him and my stern "Hannah be quiets" are met with a "Mommy I can talk" look and more of her exercising her 14 month authority. LOL.

 I will offer her back to God for Him to do with her what He pleases.  I am overwhelmed with the mere thought of how precious and sacred of a time this will be. I birthed her into existence but she does not belong to me. I may have carried her for 9 months but her life was ordained before she was ever conceived. Long before I met her father and long before our night on that deck.

As the angels gather around her and every demon of hell be warned, this is a special child that belongs to God the Father. Her destiny is protected, her innocence preserved, her joy cemented and her future is bright. Every day of her life will be one spent in the thralls of love, peace, favor and grace. Every time her name is spoken, Favor and Grace is spoken into her spirit and she is another manifestation of God's glory as with all our children. They are manifestations of love, goodness, kindness and innocence.  What we sow into our children is what they will reap in their lives.