Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-7 Part 2 • Sister Lori Newbold • June 1-7 • Come, Follow Me

Summary

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Podcast Summary – followHIM

Episode: "Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7 Part 2" with Dr. Laurie Newbold

Hosts: Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Guest: Dr. Laurie Newbold
Release Date: May 27, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode continues a deep dive into the stories of Ruth and especially Hannah from 1 Samuel 1–7. Dr. Laurie Newbold joins hosts Hank Smith and John Bytheway to explore lessons of faith, meekness, misunderstood suffering, and the power of prayer and parental responsibility. The discussion emphasizes applying scriptural insights—especially from female figures—to modern challenges such as infertility, singleness, parenting, and personal faith journeys.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Hannah’s Pain, Meekness, and Prayer (00:05–13:00)

• Contrast with Eli’s sons: The episode opens by juxtaposing Hannah’s faith with Eli’s corrupt sons, despite both holding prominent roles in Israel.
• Misunderstood and Isolated: Laurie highlights Hannah’s isolation—not understood by her husband, rival wife, or even priesthood leader (Eli mistakenly accuses her of drunkenness).
  • “Every human is misunderstood by somebody at some point... The only one who knows exactly how I feel is my Savior and my friend.” — Laurie (05:50)
• Meekness of Hannah: Hannah repeatedly chooses not to retaliate against those who misunderstand or provoke her, but instead “takes her pain to the Lord” (00:14, 01:50).
  • “Have you ever not felt understood by anyone in your life? ...Her focus is His: ‘Lord, remember me.’” — John (02:24)
• Personal Applications: Laurie and Hank share parallels from their own lives regarding being single, misunderstood, or longing for blessings not yet received.

Notable Quote:

“She respects his office, the dignity of his office, regardless of the comment that just came out of his mouth.”
— Laurie (05:50)

2. The Vulnerability of Honest Prayer (11:00–15:00)

• Hannah’s Deep Prayer: Hannah’s private, heartfelt prayer is spotlighted—a model for expressing deep yearnings to God, even those too painful to voice.
  • “If prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, you can think a prayer. You can feel a prayer.” — Laurie (11:00)
• Relating to the Deep Longing: Laurie shares her own journey of yearning for marriage and children, noting “prayer doesn’t always have to take the form of words.”

Notable Quote:

“Don’t talk behind His back. Talk to Him.”
— Laurie (12:32)

3. From Petition to Faithful Action (13:00–19:00)

• Faith-Led Action: After Eli blesses Hannah, her faith propels her forward—she resumes life, trusts in the Lord, and continues marital intimacy (an act of trust after so much disappointment).
  • “For what she has been through and how many times she has tried is an incredible statement of trust in God.” — Laurie (12:57)
• God “Remembered” Hannah: Her faith is both spiritually and physically rewarded.

4. Reframing Identity and the "Mother Now" Principle (17:00–24:00)

• Motherhood—Present vs. Future: Laurie shares a deeply personal insight—she lives as though she is a “mother now,” based on God’s eternal view, even though she is childless at present.
  • “If future is before Him and He has promised me that I will be a mother, then in His eyes, I am a mother now.” — Laurie (17:01)
• Living for Those Yet to Come: She discusses shaping her life for the children she believes she will one day have, leading to joy even now.

Notable Quote:

“Every birthday that I had was the death of another child for me, until the Lord shifted this ‘as though’ phrase for me.”
— Laurie (17:01)

5. Sacrificial Fulfillment and True Integrity (24:00–29:00)

• Vows and Integrity: Hannah’s integrity is evident when she fulfills her vow to devote Samuel to God, even though she could have kept her promise secret.
  • “This is pure integrity. I made this promise … and I’m gonna keep it. … This is not my child, this is your child.” — John & Laurie (27:43)
• Sacrifice Linked to Abraham and God: Parallels are drawn between Hannah’s sacrifice, Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac, and God giving His Son.

6. Hannah’s Song: Praise Amid Sacrifice (30:00–39:00)

• Song of Praise: Even as she leaves her long-desired son, Hannah’s song focuses on God’s power and sufficiency, not personal greatness.
  • “Immediately she gives credit. I know where my blessings come from.” — Laurie (30:57)
  • “It’s all about God’s so great, God’s so awesome, and look what He has done for me.” — Hank (34:20)
• Mary’s Magnificat Connection: The hosts connect Hannah’s prayer to Mary’s Magnificat in Luke, illustrating a legacy of praise by women in scripture.

7. Reflections on Motherhood, Potential, and Social Narratives (35:33–39:40)

• Women’s Potential and Identity: Laurie addresses contemporary debates about the value of motherhood versus career, warning against society’s shifting standards for women and men.
• Joy in Any Role: Emphasizes finding joy in motherhood—whether or not it manifests as full-time mothering or through other nurturing roles.

8. Remembering God Through Writing and Song (39:40–42:25)

• Documenting Blessings: The value of recording God’s hand in life through journals, prayers, or even songs is highlighted for spiritual remembrance and gratitude.
  • “Remembering what He has done gives me hope and courage for what He still can and will yet do for me.” — Laurie (42:25)

9. Parenting Lessons: Eli’s Example and Modern Application (42:43–53:00)

• Accountability & Love: The Lord rebukes Eli for not restraining his sons in priestly office, distinguishing between teaching truth and excessive, potentially relationship-damaging repetition.
  • “You honor your sons above Me.” — John (44:36)
  • “He is not rebuking Eli for their choices, but …. for being more fearful of his sons than trusting God.” — Laurie (44:43)
• Parental Apologies and Connection: Importance of apologizing as a parent, affirming unconditional love, and balancing accountability with compassion.
  • “The phrase I wish a parent would never say: ‘I still love you.’ God doesn’t say, ‘I still love you.’ He just says, ‘I love you. I want you.’” — Laurie (49:59)
  • “You don’t have to be just high love or high demand. There is a way, and God shows us, to be high accountability and high love.” — John (51:21)

Notable Quotes:

“Having worked 20-plus years with teenagers … kids respect [parental apologies]. They’re forgiving and you’re actually teaching them life skills by acknowledging that.”
— Laurie (53:02)

“Parents, what your children really want for dinner is you.”
— President Oaks (60:02, read by Laurie)

10. Samuel’s Call and Learning to Hear God (60:30–66:19)

• Learning to Recognize God’s Voice: Samuel repeatedly mistakes God’s call for Eli’s, modeling spiritual learning. Laurie draws parallels with youth today asking how to hear God’s voice.
  • “He did not yet know the Lord … like most teenagers: ‘How do I tell if it’s the Spirit or just me?’” — Laurie (60:30)
• Patient Tutoring: God’s patient repetition with Samuel illustrates His patience with all of us as we learn spiritual sensitivity.
  • “The Lord hasn’t changed, but Samuel has. The closer I draw to Him … the more able I am to recognize [His voice.]” — Laurie (60:30)
  • “If you believe God really does want to speak to you, then you will learn how to hear Him.” — Laurie (60:30)

11. Modern-Day Applications & Final Reflections (66:19–end)

• Our Role in “Gathering Israel”: Samuel’s preparatory role for monarchy and Israel’s future is likened to listeners’ roles in gathering Israel today, wherever they are.
  • “There’s no vineyard too small or insignificant to Him.” — Laurie (66:52)
• Learning from Both Women and Men in Scripture: John and Laurie encourage seeking Christlike attributes from all scriptural figures, regardless of gender.

Closing Notable Quote:

“I have found His attributes in everyone. Studying that quest is an amazing opportunity.”
— Laurie (68:27)

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Memorable Quotes with Timestamps

• “She only takes her pain to the Lord. She doesn't reply to Eli other than to declare … She takes her pain to God rather than lashing it out on them, which is not my skill set, by the way.” — Laurie (00:05)
• “Have you ever not felt understood by anyone in your life? ...Her focus is His: 'Lord, remember me.'” — John (02:24)
• “Every human is misunderstood by somebody at some point ... The only one and he only one knows exactly how I feel.” — Laurie (05:50)
• “If prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, you can think a prayer. You can feel a prayer.” — Laurie (11:00)
• “Don’t talk behind His back. Talk to Him.” — Laurie (12:32)
• “She is an inspiration to me to help me come unto Him. I just cannot wait to thank her someday in person.” — Laurie (12:57)
• “If … He has promised me that I will be a mother, then in His eyes, I am a mother now.” — Laurie (17:01)
• “This is pure integrity. I made this promise … and I’m gonna keep it. … This is not my child, this is your child.” — John & Laurie (27:43)
• “Immediately she gives credit. I know where my blessings come from.” — Laurie (30:57)
• “Remembering what He has done gives me hope and courage of what He still can and will yet do for me.” — Laurie (42:25)
• “You honor your sons above Me.” — John (44:36)
• “God doesn’t say, ‘With all the ways you’ve offended me, I still love you.’ He just says, ‘I love you. I want you.’” — Laurie (49:59)
• “Don’t be afraid to apologize as the parent when you’re in the wrong, because guess what, you’re going to be wrong.” — Laurie (53:02)
• “He has given … when he talks about parenting, it’s about spending time with your kids… What your children really want for dinner is you.” — President Oaks, read by Laurie (60:02)
• “The Lord hasn’t changed, but Samuel has.” — Laurie (60:30)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 00:05–02:24 | The introduction of Hannah’s meekness and misunderstood suffering | | 05:50–08:23 | Mental health impacts of being misunderstood; the Lord as the only true empathizer | | 11:00–12:32 | Hannah’s prayer as pure soul’s desire | | 17:01–19:00 | Living as “a mother now” – reframing eternal roles | | 24:18–27:43 | Hannah’s integrity in fulfilling her vow and connections to Abraham, God, and sacrifice | | 30:57–34:20 | Hannah’s song; connection to Mary’s Magnificat | | 39:40–42:25 | Remembering God’s blessings through writing—documenting the hand of the Lord | | 44:36–60:02 | Parenting lessons from Eli; high accountability/love; apologies and unconditional acceptance | | 60:30–66:19 | Samuel’s call; learning to recognize the Lord’s voice; modern spiritual relevance | | 66:52–end | Gathering Israel; learning from all scriptural figures |

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Conclusion

This episode is a scriptural masterclass on faith, vulnerability, integrity, and the paradoxes of hope and sacrifice. Dr. Laurie Newbold’s transparent storytelling and rich insights bring ancient texts powerfully into modern life, offering wisdom for the misunderstood and struggling, encouragement to parents, and a heartfelt reminder: as God remembers Hannah and Samuel, He remembers each of us.

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For more resources or to send messages to the guest, visit followhim.co.

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Transcript

[Hank]

Welcome Back to part two with Dr. Laurie Newbold. The book of Ruth in 1st Samuel

[Laurie Newbold]

1:7, in verse three, we're introduced to Eli, who's the priest, and then his two sons, who we're going to see in contrast in this story in chapters one through three, essentially one through seven, that these are men who are operating in a priesthood office and who are wicked in their choices. Just the awareness of the introduction of them here, I think matters in verse six, her adversary, or the translation is her rival wife, if you will, provoked her sore. This comment going back to what he's talked about with meekness, that she's not easily provoked. Because we don't read anywhere where Hannah responds to Peninnah. She only takes her pain to the Lord. She doesn't reply to Eli other than to declare she doesn't get offensive with Eli. Might be a better way to say it. Elkanah who says essentially, hey, am I not enough for you? I mean, all of these people who are coming, she takes her pain to God rather than lashing it out on them, which is not my skill set, by the way. One of the reasons that I love and admire her is while her ability inherits is something I'm still striving for. But her rival wife provoked her sorrow for to make her fret and again because the Lord had shut up her womb. Maybe some listeners can really relate to this concept of saying, I have such righteous desires and God has promised me. I feel like perhaps he's even maybe given me the trial or if not, he's allowing the trial that would prevent me from the fulfillment of this blessing. This makes no sense to me.

[John]

I have a tendency to get frustrated with heaven when things don't go the way I wanted them to go or thought they should go. Especially when it's this is such a good thing. So the word meek is perfect. The self control to not respond to others who are antagonistic to her and the meekness to go to the Lord in prayer. This is an inspiring story.

[Hank]

Yeah, that's a great insight, Lori, that you had that she always took her problems to the Lord, never complained against the other people.

[John]

Have you ever not felt understood by anyone in your life?

[Laurie Newbold]

Right.

[John]

This Peninnah doesn't understand her. Elkanah doesn't seem to understand and even her priesthood leader, Ish Eli, doesn't seem to understand. Feeling misunderstood by almost everyone in your life would be so frustrating. Again, her focus is his. Lord, remember me.

[Hank]

I am so deeply grateful for my life and the Lord's blessings. I had A little trouble finding someone that was willing to marry me, that I wanted to marry. I remember more than once people telling me what I was doing wrong. And I knew how hard I had prayed and how hard I was trying. And sometimes I thought, you have no idea how stupid you look in front of me and God right now. Like you were saying, lori, the only place I had to go was to the Lord, because I knew he knew my heart, every molecule of it.

[Laurie Newbold]

Culturally, we're way more understanding of a woman getting married later in life than we are a man. And my heart has tons of compassion. And I've had lots of conversations with friends in my. My stage of life who are also single, whether they're in a singles ward or men that I've been on dates with that my heart aches because I feel they desire it. Also, there's lots of factors, like, you know, another person that has to be involved in this one, particularly, like agency.

[Hank]

Fought a war over it. Yeah.

[Laurie Newbold]

I've also learned that some people want to talk to you about your personal life. They don't always know how to bring it up, so they either try to joke or make comments that feel really insincere or unkind. And I have chosen in my mind to say, I'm going to choose to hear what I think you meant, not what you said. What you said was not a good thing to say to somebody in my circumstance or my sister particularly. They struggled to have children for a number of years. Please don't ever ask a young couple when they're going to start their family. You have no idea what is happening for them. It's not the topic of conversation unless you're in their really close circles. Because I love this moment with Hannah where she's taught me this. They go up every year in seven. They went up every year to the house of the Lord to offer and make an offering. And she wept, partially because Pen and I was provoking her. She wept and she fasted. And this was really hard for her. But I love that when she's in bitterness of soul in verse 10, and prayed unto the Lord, then Eli comes over to her. We'll go down to verse 13. Now, Hannah Spake in her heart, only her lips moved. This isn't out loud, but this is her pleaing. And we come back to her prayer in a minute. But her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli thought that she'd been drunk. So her priesthood leader at the temple thought she was drunk. By the way, she's pleading and weeping, thinks accuses her Essentially because in verse 14, how long will thou be drunken? So it's not even just a thought by him. It comes out of his mouth, then says, put away thy wine from thee.

[Hank]

Hannah's like, let me. Let me rephrase that. What I think you should have said,

[Laurie Newbold]

because that's what she does. Yes. In order for her to respond, well, maybe not. She probably didn't have to reframe it. I just had to learn to reframe it because she. No, my Lord, my Lord. She still respects. Like, I love this about her so much. She respects his office, the dignity of his office, regardless of the comment that just came out of his mouth. I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink. She just gives facts. I am not drunk. I poured out my soul before the Lord. It does not seem to me at all that she is resentful to him because of their interaction that continues on and asks, will you please not consider me a daughter of Belial, which is worthless, good for nothing, right Wicked is her plea. Like, will you please not see me that way? For out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto, which is this really beautiful declaration by her. You know, your initial question, Hank, of like, have you ever felt misunderstood? I'm going to lobby from the mental health side for just a second. That every human is misunderstood by somebody at some point, even your spouse or your kids or your parents. There is just no way for us to understand each other to the depth of what's really happening in our hearts. If you ever want to push a button in mind, say something to me like, oh, I know exactly how you feel, because you don't. No two cases of infertility are the same. No two cases of singleness are the same. No two cases of divorce. No two cases of anxiety or depression or financial troubles. Humans are so much more complicated than that that the only one and he only one knows exactly how I feel. And he reaches my reaching in my Gethsemane, my savior and my friend. I love that she knows that she can speak to a God who does know exactly how she feels and that when somebody else misunderstands her, she chooses with meekness that we have been talking about to receive him well instead of becoming resentful and angry, which is what my friends do. Speaking for a friend, just that concept of seeing him properly. I love this moment, what she teaches me about how to handle it when I am misunderstood.

[John]

I love that we have an example of human beings saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. In all of the people in her life, almost, you have one person being mean on purpose, a spouse not understanding, and a priesthood leader putting his foot in his mouth.

[Laurie Newbold]

She really is the model of still saying all of these factors. And we know she's in the depth of pain. This isn't even like later on in life is happening. When she's had Samuel, she doesn't know she's going to have Samuel. Yet she's in her pain and this is how she's choosing to respond. It reminds me of the Savior. He is being beaten and scourged and spit upon. He's still in pain and is choosing still to respond so masterfully and so kindly to those who are unkind to him. In this state, she still continues with the Lord. Maybe we can go back to her prayer in verse 11. This is one of those moments where I feel like the whole room goes away and you zone in on this moment with her and God. All the background noise is faded out. You see the singular focus. I can't imagine the chaos going up temple time to offer sacrifices and all that's happening around her. It is as if she and God are the only ones that exist in this prayer. In verse 11, like you can feel it, she vowed a vow. O Lord of hosts. The title she chooses in this moment isn't by chance. I know a God of army and power who is over all. This is her declaration. I know you are over all. If thou will indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid and remember me and never forget thy handmaid, but will give unto thy handmaid a child, then I will give unto him the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And she continued praying before the Lord. I've always wondered what else she keeps saying. I want the rest of the prayer. At the same time, I feel like I've written my own. I've had times where I admire her ability to keep praying in this. I've had times in my life where I'm like Heavenly Father, I can't keep asking. This is too painful and it makes me border resentful. I'm not resentful, but I don't want to be. And if I keep asking you for it and you keep not granting it, then I don't want to resent you. I don't want to be mad at you. I got to stop praying about this. I remember for a period of years I stopped praying for marriage and children. And I said, listen you know how bad I want and what I want, but I can't talk about it. I'm just gonna trust that you know my heart and when the time is right and I'm not in that space anymore. But I have had those times and I really believe that again. Because prayer doesn't even always have to take the form of words. If prayer is the soul's sincere desire uttered or unexpressed, you can think a prayer. You can feel a prayer. You can. It is connection with your Father in heaven. It is a yearning that doesn't always have to have language. Because I think sometimes there are not words when it comes to the deep things of the soul, to emotion and expression. I think we see that in here with her amazed that she could give words as she does. Promise God, I'll give him to you if you'll just give him to me for a little bit. I love that for her it is this space with him and has. She's taught me and reminded me how you can pray. I love the line in I know that my redeemer lives, that he lives to hear my soul's complaint. We so often want to talk about. You can't express those things to God. And I'm like, that's the very place you go with all emotion. Anger, fear, hurt, frustration, disappointment. Don't talk behind his back. Talk to him.

[Hank]

And he knows it anyway. You're not hiding it from him if you don't talk about it. You probably don't know this Lord, but yeah, it reminds me of Romans 8, 26. I've always loved this. The spirit helpeth our infirmities. We know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

[Laurie Newbold]

To me, it makes 19. Poof. I am so emotional on her. I probably should have warned you that that would be the case too. 17. Eli answers her, go in peace, and the Lord God of Israel, grant thee thy petition. Like, I just wonder what that moment was like for her. Again, she chooses to trust the promise given to her through her leader. Because it could have been like, I'm not sure if you know this, Eli, but we've been trying. Thank you for your cute thoughts. Pat. Pat on the head. She just leaves and says, okay. In 18, she did eat. She went her way and she ate. And her countenance was no more. Sad. And I want to say this in the most correct and tasteful way possible. When you are struggling with infertility, it makes marital intimacy Very hard because there is so much emotion around. Once you have to start tracking ovulation and you start tracking all of the things that go in with that. For those who've experienced it, they could attest to this, that marital intimacy can become a very stressful and even contentious point in a marriage. For me, one of the greatest statements and declarations of faith by Hannah is in verse 19, when it says they returned to their house to Ramah and Elkanah knew his wife. That to me, for what she has been through and how many times she has tried, is an incredible statement of trust in God. Sometimes the very thing that is most difficult for us to do is what God asks when we're in pain. And the Lord remembered her as she pled in verse 11. Please remember me. Forget not thy handmaid. This moment I marvel at in one of those lines that is almost a passing one when I was reading through on my own, studying the feeling that if she was going to tell me her story, she'd want me to know Lori. I have faith in God. I have faith in his power. And I will do hard things because he has asked and he has promised. And she has been such an amazing example to me in my moments of like, I don't think I can do this. And I remember, not only does the Lord remember Hannah, I remember Hannah. She is an inspiration to me to help me come unto Him. I just cannot wait to thank her someday in person.

[John]

Thank you, Laurie, for this. This is beautiful scripture study. When you go slow enough and you notice the details, the phrases, what's said, what's not said, I think of. And you both have had young women in class who want to go on a mission, but for some reason, can't any young person really that wants to go on a mission but can't for maybe mental health reasons or some sort of medical issue, whatever it is, they feel misunderstood by everyone around them. And they're don't you know how bad I want this? I would love to be able to contribute. It sounds like she wants to contribute. I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life. Reminds me of President Nelson's talk landmark. Of course, you both know the peacemakers needed. He says if a couple in your ward gets divorced or a young missionary returns home early, or a teenager doubts his testimony, they do not need your judgment. They need to experience the pure love of Jesus Christ reflected in your words and actions. Interesting that you can find so much relevancy in antiquity. This is an old story, Laurie. You bring it to life.

[Laurie Newbold]

I thought I had this quote on my phone. I'll paraphrase it because it hangs up on my mirror, actually, and has for the last 15 or so years. Because I do know that there's a lot of women listening to this and men who long to have children. I love, love, love President Oaks and how strongly he testifies of the family. I know that for some it's painful with how strongly he testifies of the family. And I've had to really work to say, like, where do I sit with all of these things? And how can I come to a place where when I hear that strong of a testimony in the role of a woman, that it doesn't cause me to be mad that he's testifying of her? President Oak Latter Day Saint women understand that being a mother is their highest priority, their ultimate joy. Okay, so 44, no kids in my home. And yes, I recognize that I get to bless students and I get young women and I have nieces and nephews. And I've had the sacred privilege of being told that I'm like a second mom. Like, I love those have meant so, so much to me. Then to hear this without again, it not being overwhelming, awful things. I realized one day, Elder Maxwell talks about that God lives in an eternal now, that past, present and future are before him all the time. Since that is true, if future is before him and he has promised me that I will be a mother, then in his eyes, I am a mother now. So I am a mother now, which means what? For how I live as a single woman in my 40s, I have carried this verse in Jarim with me in the Book of Mormon. There's just really a phrase from it. They're talking about, essentially, when the Savior will come in Jarom, chapter 1, verse 11. I found the way to be happy now and then continue to fulfill that role for me. Now he jumps down to the middle. He said, the prophets and priests, they did labor diligently, exhorting with all long suffering the people due diligence, teaching the law of Moses and the intent for which it was given, persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah and believe in him to come as though he already was. I realized in that moment that I could live as though I am a mother now. That means the things that I have on my walls in my home, than the entertainment, the music, the types of behaviors and habits. I don't want a huge life shift. When little kids come into my house. I don't want to be like, well, great Because I chose to be a mom. I have to give up this and I have to give up that. Like, I don't want them to be a pain to my s single life. They deserve a mom who loves a savior. They deserve to come into a home that is most like the one they are leaving when they come here. There has been more than once when my ability to keep my covenants has been because of my thought of them and almost is cheering on in my mind. I remember particularly I was struggling in my teenage years as my parents with divorce and normal teenage stuff. I was talking to a leader at an activity, and the comment was made to me, hey, Lori, just remember something. Your children are praying for you. They are hoping. I'm like, 13, by the way. And at first it felt a little weird, but then it didn't at all at the same time, right? I'm like, wait a minute. What do you mean, my children? You have kids, right? They're gonna come into your home someday next to you. It matters more to this group than any other that you stay faithful to the Savior. Your trials that stayed with me from age 13 on. To think about my children, like when I was in high school, choices that I made, is this fair to my kids? Is this the story that I want to tell them someday? Is this what I want to bring them into? Every year that passes has been painful. I feel like. I know it sounds a little dramatic at times, but maybe some women can resonate with this, or men. But I feel like every birthday that I had was the death of another child for me. Until the Lord shifted this as though phrase for me, which wasn't until my mid-30s, by the way. The living for them, yes, that governed me up till then. But then to realize that I am a mother now came in my 30s. Now. I don't hate Mother's Day. I am a mother now. I can live that way and I can act that way. I know that God remembers me. So the other quote that I have hanging by Elder Maxwell that I don't have in front of me is the one that just said that sometimes, perhaps there's a special form of patience when you really want to become a saint. And it is connected to having something to lay on the altar and then not being required to lay it on the altar. And he said, presumably, that when we say, I'm willing to go where you want me to go, I'm also saying, I'll stay where you want me to stay. I wrestle with the Lord. I'm like, am I not Good enough. Do you not trust me? All of those prayers, and I'm like, what's wrong? Like, am I a bad influence? What do I need to change? When I can say him saying, no, Lord, you will be an amazing mother. It's just not time to have it. To lay on the altar and then not be asked. Has been this space in my relationship with him that has actually been amazing because I know him and he sits with me in the heartache. The Savior is the only one who understands, because of his atoning sacrifice, what it's like as a woman to want to have children, what he suffered and experienced, and then to not be blessed with it, but to know that he gets that pain, and therefore he sits with me in it and carries me and strengthens me. And I love every ounce of him for it.

[Hank]

I've never seen some of the things that you've shown me here. This is great. And I liked what you said earlier. We paint singles with a broad brush shingles. And there are so many different kinds in there. Never been married. Have been married. Have been married with kids. We're, you know, never got all that stuff. And I hate that we do that because we're defining people by something they lack. We need a better word. So fun to put a new hero in your hero hall of fame, isn't it? I always knew about Hannah, but now I'm seeing things that Laurie's showing us. There's like, wow, this is really impressive. Yeah.

[John]

It seems that Hannah's faith, like Lori said earlier, is not in the outcome. She wants the outcome. That's valid, right? To tell the Lord what you want. But then my faith is in him nevertheless. Like you said earlier with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Nevertheless.

[Hank]

But if not.

[John]

But if not, I believe you see

[Laurie Newbold]

that too, because it's clearly not just in the outcome, because as we progress in the story, and then she's blessed to get pregnant. And then she names him Samuel in verse 20, because I have asked him of the Lord. Samuel also means heard of the Lord or heard of God. Then she gets these really special sacred years of being with him, where Elkanah continues to go up to the temple and she says, when I weaned in, then I'll take him. Scholars suggest that the weaning is probably like two to four years sometime in there. Old enough, obviously, that she can just leave him without a mom. I wonder what those are like for her. We continue to see her character because you look in 24, that when she had weaned him, she took him up with her. And not just with that, but with an offering to God. Because now she has her outcome, she has her baby, and she's about to give him back. Her faith isn't conditioned to what God giving her, the thing she's praying for. It's in the God that she loves, that she keeps her promises. It's so interesting to me when I'm begging for the Lord, for the fulfillment of his promises. And literally every week I break mine. Every week, sometimes every day. Which is why I'm so thankful for the sacrament table. And I'm so grateful that he's not like, well, you didn't keep yours, so I don't have to keep mine. This unreal God who is so, so generous in helping us in 27 and 28, which I've heard many women over the years recount, especially when they send off missionaries. And I'm sure that the men have too. I just have sat probably in more relief societies than elders quorums. And by probably, I mean a lot. So for this child I prayed and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore also have I lent him to the Lord. As long as he liveth, he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there at the time most Levites, when they would go serve, it's about 25 to 50 years. They're 25, 50 year olds, but she's bringing them at age three, so you see this space? Then she immediately goes to this praise of who God is as well. In chapter two.

[John]

This feels like an Abraham like sacrifice. You pray for this child, you get it? And now the Lord wants him back. I was really mad at John, by the way. When I sent my son on a

[Hank]

mission,

[John]

I texted him and I said, you did not tell me how hard this was. You've done this five times. It ripped my heart out. And it's two years and I still get to talk to him on Mondays. It was a privilege. I know what a blessing it is to have children, but I'll tell you, I didn't want him to go. When he was 15, I would have sent him easily, right? I would have said, send him.

[Hank]

Like, speaking of stacking themes, here is somebody giving up a son. God so loved the world, he gave a son. Abraham giving a son. Like you said, Hank. And here's Hannah giving a son.

[John]

Wow, Laurie, I might be wrong here. You'll have to correct me, but I don't think anybody else knows about this promise. So she could just keep this to

[Hank]

herself and say, right, hi, never mind.

[John]

This is pure integrity. I made this promise. It's a great point and I'm gonna keep it. And then this is the ultimate to me of this is not my child, this is your child.

[Laurie Newbold]

So now Eli takes him and is gonna help him. He's gonna serve as brought up all the way back at the very beginning. We point out that you have Phineas and Hophni who are Eli's sons. Clearly the people are aware that they are not stellar examples and by that they are eating the best of the offerings, they're taking it from people. And then they are also sleeping with the women when they come for sacrifices. What you have now is I wonder. This is a question mark. I don't know what Hannah feels about leaving her three year old boy with Eli. This is one of the tricky spots where we see a comparison in parenting in scripture because it isn't so much that Eli's sons are making the choices that they are making that God rebukes Eli, it's for not correcting his sons. So he's quick to correct Hannah for being drunk, but he's not quick to correct his own sons who are in a priest role and are taking advantage of the faithful members who come up. But I did want to make one more comment going back to Hannah, because I love she offers Samuel then in chapter two of verse 21 is just one of the sweetest things. Again, she doesn't know this. She's been barren. But then God it says the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived bear three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord even going back. And we talked about Ruth and the compensation of the blessing. You see that again with Hannah. She keeps her promise, the one that nobody knows about but her and God and he blesses her with more like abundance. A womb that was closed is clearly open and five more kids. Amazing evidence to me of Heavenly Father remembering her, caring for her and rewarding her for her offering to him, which to me is just this incredible one. We can jump back. He's going to be raised at the temple so that when we get to chapter three, you're going to see that it's when Samuel has the calling of a prophet, it's going to be Eli that he goes to and thinks is speaking to him, when it's actually the Lord.

[John]

Now Laurie, as we move into chapter two, just like Ruth, Hannah is going to show up in the beginnings of the New Testament. I love how poetic this is. That these two women who aren't born to any sort of privilege are the opening of the story of the Savior's life.

[Laurie Newbold]

I think that's a telltale, actually, about what's truly remembered. It seems like in the history books we remember tragedy and evil. Or you remember faithfulness, not always wealth or fame, by saying lots of times fame is accompanied by wickedness or falls. But as far as righteousness, like, we see that she's remembered by us again like God remembers her, but we remember her because of her faithfulness. I love in chapter two, this is the other element. So she's just left her son. The first thing that she feels to do is to praise the Lord. Just to start with even the title of the Come follow me for the week. Because I think this is such an amazing way to frame these two things. If we go back to. Again, everything in my mind being framed to the plan. And while I'm here on Earth to become like my Father in Heaven, then an opportunity to praise. Hannah prayed and said, my heart rejoiceth in the Lord. Mine horn. And horn is a symbol, right? In Hebrew for power. Capacity is exalted in the Lord. And I love that. Immediately she gives credit. I know where my blessings come from. I know where my strength comes from. And then my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beside thee. Neither is there any rock like our God. I think this is a really fun set of verses. So maybe two things that I would invite listeners to do. One is to just identify what she says about who God is. Wherever you're at in your faith, what can you learn from Hannah about why you can trust God? Because of who she praises and how she praises. The second fun exercise, which I think is to. Is to write your own. With the Passover and the increased focus on Easter, one of the things that they do is called the Dayenu, which is this recounting of all the things that God has done for them. Essentially, the line is that if he'd done these things for us, it would have been enough. Just this recognition of the blessings that God gives and of his sufficiency. This year, I wrote my own dayanu. And it was like one of the most spiritual hours or hour and a half. I mean, I'm no writer, but I'm a. I am a journal keeper. In hopes that someday my kids will be able to know parts of my life that they weren't born for, I've kept a record so that they'll know who I am, just because I'm going to be an old, old mom. But in regards to that, I've kept these notes in this letter. So I decided to write this and just say, lord, if you had done this for me, then it would have been enough. And as I went through this, it was just this amazing recounting of my life. This is one of those moments where I said, when you're saying, I'll go where you want me to go, I want to be able to say, I'm glad I went where you wanted me to go. And I can look back and say, wow, I'm so glad that I went where you wanted me to go. And an exercise like this really helped me to see what he has done for me. And you feel that for and from her. That's one of the things that I love about these set of verses were in her praise. But I don't know, what about you two? What do you guys like about these verses?

[Hank]

I know some of our other guests, like Michael Balam would really love that it's a song, that it's a hymn. All of the sudden, it's reminding me, Hank, when you referred to the early part of the New Testament, I'm thinking also of Mary's Magnificat. My soul doth magnify the Lord. And she sounds just like Hannah. It's not about, I'm so lucky. I'm so great. I'm so awesome. It's all about, God's so great, God's son. Awesome. God's so powerful, and look what he has done for me.

[Laurie Newbold]

I don't know if we know this, but do you think Mary was inspired by Hannah's writings?

[John]

Oh, 100%. At least she knows the song. And the song is based on Hannah's prayer. How beautiful that the mother of the Son of God hundreds of years later is singing a song based on what Hannah says here. That to me is a pin to the heart. Just. Oh, that's beautiful.

[Hank]

It's there in the footnote. Footnote 2B Luke 1:46, Magnificat. It also shows that Mary, who some scholars think was a mid teenager, was well versed in her Old Testament or her scriptures.

[Laurie Newbold]

Yeah, it's beautiful.

[John]

I think of her mother, St. Anne, singing this song to Mary when she was little girl.

[Laurie Newbold]

Well, in both of them, it's a double prayer. I mean, it's the spirit of my relationship with God that I'm praising. And also for the opportunity to be a mother, I had this conversation with students last year, and it was a bit of an epiphany for me. I was teaching the eternal families class. I had some young women express that essentially the feeling that their potential is greater than just motherhood as far as education and making a difference in the world. And that's a pretty common narrative. I want to be really careful to not ever criticize the feeling of, like, your potential. I don't think you have to put down the role of motherhood. Sometimes we'll say, well, like, I'm bigger and better than a mother. When again, I go back to what my eternal roles are. And I've shared that with them, right? Of all the titles that I have, the degrees or whatever else you want to put behind your name, the scriptural one that God talks about is motherhood. And the epiphany that I had is I was like, you know, it's funny when we talk about how cunning the adversary is, because when we talk about women, what we're saying is, your potential is greater than motherhood. When we talk about men, we're flipping. It's the opposite narrative. We're so mad at men for being deadbeat dads is the conversation in our society today. And I'm thinking to myself, nobody is telling a man that if he works, he is living beneath his potential. It's like the opposite. Our social narrative has become so, so cunning in causing women to misunderstand identity and priorities to some degree. Now, I also love going back kink. When you brought up the quote by Elder Anderson about as far as when and not to have kids is between you and your spouse, I think the same thing is true as far as work. My parents divorced, and I came from a home where I had a working mom. My mom worked three jobs for most of my teenage years to provide for us. She was educated. And so it didn't ever occur to me that there would be a less than or anything comparison in there. I will tell you that I know of all the things that my mom has done in her life, she would tell you because she consistently emphasizes that her greatest joy, truly her greatest joy, is us. And every one of her children would tell you that when we are around her, we know she values nothing more than us. I even think she went to work because she had to provide for us. And she was, well, revered in her career and has had awards for the contributions that she has made in her career. But I've never heard one time, I kid you not, not one time in my entire life when somebody's asked her what means something to her. Never a comment about her success as a career woman. It is 100% about her joy in her children and her grandchildren and now her great grandchildren. I love that this prayer like of praise by Hannah and by Mary is this joyful opportunity to be a mom. I do want to make a comment because there are a lot of women today now who have loved and wanted to be stay at home moms and we've almost flipped the narrative as if they are bad for wanting that or if they're less than because they don't desire a career or because they find joy in being a full time mother and that that is the greatest development of their potential. I think it's important to speak to that. Just as I would say I don't follow the woman for working. I don't follow the woman for not. Like it's a really beautiful space to find joy in motherhood and recognize that not all of us get to live our ideal in any way, shape or form. But I love that in this circumstance we still see that the catalyst, I guess is the word for this song of faith and this praising of the Lord is connected to the gift of being a mother.

[John]

The principle of remembering what God has done for you, writing it down like you are Laurie and drawing back on it in future times. John, we've talked about this many times, but I don't know if you can talk about it enough. Writing down your experiences, Writing a song. Someone wrote a song about Hannah's experiences.

[Hank]

Someone sent us an email and they talked about their ward had a project. Their acronym was hotl Hand of the Lord. Where you're going to document the hand of the Lord in your life. Then do what King Benjamin might say. Put it before your eyes so that you don't forget how often you've seen his hand in your life.

[John]

Even these incredible experiences can fade. They can have a short shelf life if you don't write them down and

[Hank]

then write a song about them.

[Laurie Newbold]

Yeah, I found that my prayers were shifting so much to either lamenting about my frustrations with my circumstance or asking and asking and asking God for things. I did thank him, but as the primary order of things, like I began by saying, dear Heavenly Father, I thank him for blessings and humbly I ask him and then move on. But I realized that I wasn't as sincere in this recognition. So I got a whiteboard and I made a list of things that I want to praise him for and make sure that I thank him for. It's not Every time I pray, because that's not possible. But I do take time to go have different prayers. And those prayers are ones of just to praise the hymn as now we take the sacrament. There's this line, contemplate thy lasting grace, thy boundless charity. I realized that for a long time I was going to the sacrament feeling so heavy about all the things that I'd done wrong and begging for forgiveness for that. But that hymn was like, that's not what we're thinking about, actually. What we're thinking about is his grace and his boundless charity. And when I started shifting to that, clearly my sins came to my mind because those were amazing spaces for him to exercise charity in my behalf and then also to give me grace and pull me out of it. Anyway, the short is, in the last however many years, my prayers have shifted. Not every single one of them. But I do take times to make sure that I do this in my prayer so that I'm having a more holistic approach to who God is to me. Yes, he is a God who can help and bless and direct and guide. And he is also the God who has done so much. Remembering what he has done gives me hope and courage of what he still can and will yet do for me.

[Hank]

Right. Yeah, it's exactly. And the same God that did those things for you in the past, well, he's not done with you.

[John]

It's almost as if Hannah says, remember me, and then the Lord turns around and says the exact same thing to Hannah, Remember me.

[Laurie Newbold]

I do think the Lord seems to want to emphasize the importance of righteous parenting in a society currently where I tell you, I'm watching my siblings raise teenagers, it's tough. The moral code and the decisions that they have to make and the things that these kids are facing in elementary school and middle school, I mean, it's like, you know, half the time of, like, what do I. What hills do I die on? What do I teach? What do I not teach? How do you teach acceptance of love and also take a stand on morals? It's a tricky space in there, right? And we see. In here, we see Hannah, who's longing to be a parent, so blessed and gives her child to the Lord. And then the Lord has this experience where Eli, his sons, as we've already mentioned, have this responsibility, a very sacred responsibility at the tabernacle with. With the repentance offerings, essentially, of what their role is as priests to represent the Savior. And Eli does not stop them essentially from this sin, that he knows that they're involved In I think there's a big difference. Clearly, they've been taught, and I would say lots of parents have taught their kids today. Now, the Lord is not rebuking Eli for their choices, but he is rebuking Eli for not stopping them in the role that they're in, in their choices. You can stop them as functioning as priests, and then they can still go do whatever they've been doing because they have agencies. I think it's important to, like, distinguish the two here because it seems to be that Eli is more concerned with what his sons think than what the Lord's thinking.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[John]

And that's the Lord's statement, You honor your sons above me.

[Laurie Newbold]

Yeah. What verse are you in there, Hank?

[John]

That's 29.

[Laurie Newbold]

Even conversations with people, they're almost afraid now to teach any type of moral or value because of the fear of their kids being judgmental or not accepting or not being accepted socially. Along those lines that we can, if we're not careful, pull back from teaching truth. That's a caution. As we go forward in our day and more and more seems to be okay, and we're tired. I don't think you have to repeat and repeat. On my mental health side, I worked frequently with teenagers. Then I would typically do a session or two with the teenager and the parent. I can tell you that parents love their children. They want to make sure that they're taught well. Like a lot of. A lot of LDS parents, a lot of Christian parents, a lot of parents in general, they really want to teach them well, sometimes to the point where they belabor it so heavy on the kid that they actually start to damage the relationship. I would ask the child, let's say, for example, whether it be depression or whether it be gender identity, a number of things. I would say, do you wonder what your parent thinks about this? And they're like, no. Do you want me to get. Which speech do you want me to give? Like, verbatim. They could tell me the things that have been said to them, and then I would meet with the parent and the parent, obviously, out of love. And I do mean love. And sometimes fear for where this direction and this trajectory. And I don't. Again, I don't blame them. They would tell me what they wanted to say, and then I would ask them, I'm like, if you never spoke of this thing again, whatever the topic, if you never said another word, would your child know how you felt about it? And they were like, yes. Okay, so my next question is, does your child know that they still Have a seat at your table, that they're still welcome in your home, that they're still part of your family. If they don't choose your faith, if they don't choose the sexual identity that you would like, if they don't choose, I mean, fill in the blank of whatever it may be, do they know that? And the parent would say, well, I would hope so. And I'm like, you should ask them. Or we pull them in together and we would do that type of session, that conversation together and saying if I could help the child. Lots of times they were super scared to bring it up to their parents because it had usually turned into a huge fight. But if I could help the child and advocate with them just to say, hey, I know what you think, and I disagree, or I just want to set different perspective for now and then for me to be able to say, okay, you understand each other. Actually, you do understand each other. You think you don't, but you do. Now, can we go forward with just agreeing to disagree on what this looks like or how this goes and where can we find peace and strength in the relationship? And sometimes I'd give the parent, I'd say, listen, you have an assignment to have a full conversation with a child without bringing that one thing up, not even one time. And they couldn't do it. They couldn't do it. A lot of them of their own, of their own admittance. And then I would work with them to come back and say, okay, let's figure out how to do this so the relationship could start to heal. It's not necessarily that we're saying, at all costs, you. You have to keep telling your child over and over again that God is not okay with this decision, that we, as covenant members of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints don't believe in. Fill in the blank. Like, they know that conversation doesn't actually need to keep being had. You get to have standards in your home. For sure you do. And my experience is most kids respect that when their parents do that. But if you go to a restaurant and they want to order alcohol, quote unquote, that might be a different conversation. And I'm not trying to make it a clean, easy cut. I don't have a judgment because I just don't know what it's like in the relationship. But I think our Father in heaven is, to me, the most amazing example of the perfect parent whose kids have chosen otherwise at times. And it does not mean he failed as a parent. Because if the child doesn't choose the thing you want him to choose, does that mean you're a bad parent or you didn't do it right, or you didn't teach him well enough? Because if by that definition, then Heavenly Father, a third of his kids didn't even come, then does that mean he's a bad parent, or does that mean agency's a thing and he still is loving and patient and reaching out? I mean, can you imagine if every time you prayed the first start, the Heavenly Father's response to you was like, well, you know, I told you not to do that, right? You know, I told you that won't lead to happiness. You know where this is headed, you know? You know. You know, like that sort of moment. He doesn't do that with us, which I think he's the most amazing model of how to handle when your kids are choosing differently than you would like. In my mind, that's just one important side to recognize this, that he's not rebuking Eli for their choices, but he is rebuking Eli because they have a position of responsibility for being more fearful of his sons than he is of trusting God in that.

[John]

Laurie, you've told me before that there's a statement you wish a parent would never say to a child. Can you tell our listeners that it's

[Laurie Newbold]

just the phrase of I still love you? I've heard that frequently used by people that I have both friends and then also people that I worked with in the way of, like, the LGBTQ community, that that's been told as if love was conditioned on my sexuality. While some parents are trying to make sure that, like, I love you to me is very different than I still love you, even with all you've done, I still love you. God doesn't say to me, lori, with all the ways you've offended me, I still love you. He just says, lori, I love you. I want you.

[John]

I always have, I always will.

[Laurie Newbold]

Again, has said, I am in relentless pursuit of you, and I am doing everything that I can in every way to show you my love and to have you desire to be with me and to be like me. I think that that's an important one. You can say, I love, and they may. I don't know if they wonder or not if you still will, but I think some do wonder that if they don't choose the lifestyle that you would like, if they don't choose the faith that you would like or that matters so much to you, then can you love them as much as their siblings who did or whatever? So just that assurance of I love you. I think that's a beautiful space.

[John]

I wonder if Eli had fallen into a false dichotomy that parents, including me, often fall in, which is either I have to be high love or high demand. And he was like, well, I'll be high love. And then other people like me fall into, well, I'll just be high demand. There is a way, and God shows us there is a way to be both high accountability and high love. You can do both. You don't have to fall into the trap of, well, I got to be the good guy or the bad guy. There's a way to be both high care and high accountability. Sometimes you have to be a little more creative, but there's a way to do that. And Eli seems maybe to be high care, but not high on demand, on accountability.

[Hank]

As a young adult, I'm grateful for people who did not say, oh, you're great, but would say, I love you. So I want to tell you about a blind spot that you have that you haven't even noticed, which was a harder conversation for them. But for me, it was, wow, that person really does. I mean, it's like, whom God loveth, he chasteneth. As a young adult, I was thankful for people who would say, you've got a blind spot.

[John]

Well, parenting is such an intimate thing. When we start talking parenting, you're like getting into the most sensitive parts of our lives. So we hope everyone listening is saying, what was it that you told the story? I want to hear what you're trying to say.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[John]

On this because you're right. The Lord does seem to be very concerned with Eli's parents parenting.

[Laurie Newbold]

Don't be afraid to apologize as the parent when you're in the wrong, because guess what, you're going to be wrong. There is not a parent who has always made the right decision, always said the right thing. You can't be mortal and do that no matter how well intentioned you are. Having worked 20 plus years with teenagers in a variety of settings, when I talk and they come, whatever conversation we've had about parents, they're just like, my parents never apologize. My parents are never wrong, quote, unquote, that sort of thing. I even had a student say to me one time, he's like, I just wish one time, one time they would say to me, oh man, I messed that up. And he goes, instead of everything being my fault all the time. And I thought, you know, that's, that's actually really a beautiful statement. Because you do. And kids respect that. They're forgiving and you're actually teaching them life skills by acknowledging that I know this is pulling outside of the story. Elder Rasband three phrases that we all need to adopt I'm sorry. Thank you and I love you parents. Do you thank your children for anything good that they do? How often do you say those words to them? I love you. Thank you for taking out the garbage. Thank you for helping with dinner. Even when it's an expectation and even when it's like their chores or things they should be doing or they're trying to do so be able to go hang out with their friends, you can still genuinely express gratitude for them and not be afraid to just say I am sorry. Here the Lord seems more concerned with the concept of the end of chapter two. The Lord does essentially curse him and tell him as a result of this, Eli, they're going to be cut off. They're going to die in the same day. And then you're also going to be cut off because you haven't hearkened to me, your inner responsibility, and you haven't valued me above whatever fear comes there. He says in 35, which is where we pick back up into the heavy story of Samuel and I will raise me up a faithful priest. This tells you essentially what's happened to some of what's going on in Eli's heart that shall do according to that which is in my heart, meaning the Lord's and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he will walk before mine, anointed forever. I think that that's a good reminder for any of us who are in any type of calling or responsibility, whether it be parenting or church or work, trusted position is, am I doing what's in the Lord's heart and am I seeking to know what's in his heart so that I can then turn and do what's in his heart? Because then in four through seven, when the Philistines come to war with Israel, you're going to see the fulfillment of God's prophecy in that Eli and his sons all die. I know that we love it when we say we prayed for something and God kept a promise and blessed us, and he also keeps his promises on these types of situations as well. Which I know this sounds kind of odd, but I love that God is so consistent. I actually find a lot of hope that He's a promise keeper in both directions, because here's a father who isn't more worried about what his children think of him. That just terrifies me to think of a God who is. He wants to be popular or cool or well liked. And so he changes based on what his kids are pleading for. I am so thankful for a just God who is consistent and dependable that way and does not give in to my tantrums. I'm thrilled later on that I want him to give to me anyway. I just love that he isn't. And we see that also in four through seven. But coming back to Samuel, we're going to watch this raising up of him in chapter three.

[John]

I would throw out a little note to anybody out there who's feeling very frustrated as a parent because I've been there before. The best parenting guide I've ever Read is section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verses 34 through 46, 34 to the end. You want a parenting guide? Go through that line by line. The way Laurie has taken us through these verses in Ruth and Samuel. That's the Lord's parenting guide in my mind. John, I know you feel the same way.

[Hank]

Yeah. Or any interpersonal relationships. It's so good. It's so brilliant. And it's a letter out of Liberty Jail. It's amazing.

[Laurie Newbold]

I love Alma the Younger. When you go into chapters 36 through 42, because he's talking to three different children who've made three different sets of choices, he talks directly to all of them and with so much love. It's fun to say, man, why did he teach this child this thing? Given this circumstance? It's another amazing guide to say, here's even another person in scripture who isn't a perfect parent but understands this balance of love and directness and acceptance and teaching with that too. Those are really beautiful spots in scripture to help you and know that parenting is a covenant relationship with the Savior. You're not being asked to parent alone. I know that he will guide you. He will give you direction. He will give you strength. He will give you patience. He will bind your tongue for you if you ask him to at the right times to not speak. And then he will loose it. There are times when you're like, you need to stop talking and you can't do it by yourself. I know this is not an apparent like, as a verbal processor and the person who says way too much sometimes. I have started praying like, heavenly Father, can you just stop me in the moment instead of causing me to repent later, like me living on a stinking regret? And he does. That's a promise. I know he'll do for you as well.

[Hank]

President Dallin H. Oaks said once, where do parents draw the line? This is a matter for parental wisdom guided by the inspiration of the Lord. There is no area of parental action that is more needful of heavenly guidance and then of love this or more likely to receive it than the decisions of parents in raising their children and governing their families. This is the work of eternity.

[John]

It's rough, it's hard.

[Hank]

But like you said, that's a most likely area where you will get help because he's parenting with you. And I've heard you, Hank, say before, I think you said it this way, rather than saying, heavenly Father, help me raise my children. You can say, heavenly Father, help me help you raise your children.

[John]

What do you want me to do to help you versus you help me.

[Laurie Newbold]

This is a tall sign up. It's a President Oaks quote that I love. He has given in more than one conference talk. When he talks about parenting, it's about spending time with your kids. And he even encourages to put technology away and just find connection. He says, parents, what your children really want for dinner is you.

[John]

He has said that multiple times. Laurie, let's finish this out. What do we have left in 1st Samuel that you want to make sure

[Laurie Newbold]

we see in verse two of chapter three, Eli, his eyes began to wax dim as we're talking about as he's aging, that he could not see. The lamp goes out and it's dark. And then we get in verse four, and I love this parallel, this language. Maybe it sounds familiar to somebody, but the Lord called Samuel and he answered, here am I. And he ran unto Eli and said, here am I, for thou callest me. He said, I called not lie down again. And he went to lay down. Which clearly says, samuel doesn't recognize God's voice yet because he thinks it's Eli. So he goes and he lays down verse 6. The Lord called yet again Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, here am I. Is this sounding like anybody we know when God called, here am I, send me so, for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not my son and lie down again. Now, Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. By this we know that he's been raised with Hannah. He was very young. So it's not a matter of saying he doesn't know him in the spirit of like, he's completely foreign to him. But he is of these growing age now where like most teenagers that I know, probably the number one question I've received in my career has been. How do I tell if it's the Spirit? And how do I know if it's just me? Verse 8 the Lord called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, here am I, for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived at this time, oh, I know what's happening, that the Lord had called the child. It also was fun for me because it reminds us of 3 Nephi 11 that they're gathered together to rebuild the temple, and they hear a voice and they don't recognize it. And they hear a voice and they don't recognize it. And then the third time, that's when they hear it and they know who's speaking. Then Eli Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, go, lie down. And if it shall be, if he call thee, thou shalt say, speak, Lord. This is the other thing that I think is really beautiful with the Lord. And Eli, even though we just talked about what he's not done with his sons, God still honors him as a priest and is still using him to train up Samuel, just such a merciful God. And then speak, Lord, for thy servant hear. So Samuel went, I love this obedient little boy, and lay his place. And then the Lord came and stood and called, as at other times, samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, speak for thy servant heareth. Sister Beck said that learning to recognize and act upon the Holy Ghost is the single most important skill that we can acquire in mortality. I have loved that the Lord is so patient with all the times that I don't recognize him or that I recognize him and I don't follow it. One of the sweet things about this too, in verse 10 called as other times, the Lord hasn't changed, but Samuel has. So I have found that as my life progresses on, and the closer I draw to him, the more time I spend in his word, the more time I spend in his house, the more familiar I become with how he talks and what he says, the more able I am to recognize it when it comes. Because I'm seeking. And then I'm trusting that he's patient as I'm figuring it out and not frustrated with me all the time. Because he very well could be like. He has very good reason to be like. Again, Lori, for real. But he doesn't. He just says, okay, again, Lori. President Nelson, does God really want to speak to you? Yes. If you believe that God really does want to speak to you, then you will learn how to hear Him. This is your number one starting point. If you don't think he wants to speak to you, then it is going to be very hard for you to hear him. But you have to believe he wants to. Then once he does, Elder Bednar gives this amazing devotional with Ensign College that it's titled Living in Revelation. And he says that most of us are living in Revelation and we have no idea that it's happening around us. So it's not even this concept of whether or not God is speaking to us. It's just learning to hear it. Especially when you're being a good boy and a good girl, is his comment. You are doing your best to keep your covenants. Your promise is that you will always have his spirit to be with you. I want to make maybe a side note here for mental illness because of the difficulty that can arise from certain mental health challenges of recognizing and hearing and feeling the spirit. And I love this insight that I had one day that the Lord said that you may always have my spirit to be with you, not that you may always feel my spirit to be with you. If you're one who battles depression or anxiety and you have a hard time feeling the spirit, I don't think you can then conclude that you don't have it, even if you don't feel it. One of the ways that you exercise faith in the Lord is to go forward trusting that you have it, even if you don't feel it. That's a really key component. Given some of the challenges that some of our bodies and our brains face today is it's not always easy to detect, especially when it's connected to emotion and feelings.

[John]

And Samuel's going to be pretty central to our next how many lessons? Come, follow me. He's going to see Israel through the monarchy.

[Hank]

Yeah. Well, just like you said at the beginning, Hank, this is the end of the judges. And now we're starting with the monarchy. And Samuel's this big piece of that.

[John]

He is. What does the Lord say to him in chapter three? We're going to do something big, right? I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone that heareth shall tingle.

[Hank]

Tingle.

[Laurie Newbold]

Well, in the tutoring in verse 19, Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. Reminds you of Joseph and the Lord was with him. And my friends, he's with us. We're growing. We may not have the role of prophet, but we have a really important role in gathering Israel and preparing the earth for the Savior's second coming. We have heard that over and over and over again. Wherever you are in the world and whatever Space you live in and your current circumstance. You have been asked to gather. Therefore, God will help you gather because he needs all of his children prepared for the Savior. There's no vineyard too small or insignificant to him. There's no space that doesn't matter. No, they all matter. Because where you're at are children of God that need the Savior. He will be with you in a way that you can reach them and help prepare them for Him. This tutoring process is not unique to Samuel. It's for all of us if we'll seek him.

[John]

Thank you so much, Laurie. This has been a fantastic day. I really want to take time to say, okay, how can I be more like Ruth? How can I be more like Hannah? Sometimes we don't do that very well as men. We say, oh, look, let's all learn from the men in the scriptures. Oh, and the women. You can learn from the women in the scriptures. But I want to be more like Ruth. I want to be more like Hannah.

[Laurie Newbold]

To me, it doesn't matter if it's male or if it's female. It's the Savior that we're learning from. It's the Savior we're striving to be like. And I have found his attributes in everyone. Studying that quest is an amazing opportunity which we get to learn from all of God's children. I am so grateful. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share, to prepare, and to express my love of these amazing women and these amazing men and of my Savior and my Father in heaven, who I know are so intimately, personally working in my life, are the very reason that I get out of bed every single day. Thank you for letting me share that today.

[John]

Well, thank you. We hope everyone who wants to leave a message for Laurie come onto YouTube or come onto our website, followhim. Co. Followhim co. And we'll make sure those messages get to her. This was a great day. I have no room left to write in my. In these chapters. I'm gonna have to get a new set of scriptures.

[Hank]

I love how these huge, powerful lessons are with plain, ordinary people. In a famine, widows, they weren't kings. They weren't high priests. Thank you for devoting space in the scriptures for these stories, Heavenly Father.

[John]

Laurie. I think all of our listeners do know that thou art a virtuous woman. May the name of Laurie Newbold be known all over our listeners hearts and minds this week. With that, we want to thank Sister Laurie Newbold for being with us today. We want to thank our executive producer, Shannon Sorensen, our sponsors, David and Verla Sorensen. In every episode, we remember our founder, Steve Sorensen. We hope you'll join us next week. Let's find out what happens to Samuel and the House of Israel on Follow Him. As a thank you to our wonderful listeners, we'd love to gift you the digital version of our book Finding Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. It offers short, meaningful insights drawn from our past Old Testament episodes. Visit followhim.co. that's followhim.co to download your free copy today and you'll also find the link to purchase the print edition. Thank you for being part of our Follow him family. Of course, none of this could happen without our incredible production crew, David Perry, Lisa Spice, Will Stoughton, Crystal Roberts, Ariel Cuadra, Heather Barlow, Amelia Kabwica, Sydney Smith, and Annabelle Sorenson. Whatever questions or problems you have, the

[Laurie Newbold]

answer is always found in the life

[John]

and teachings of Jesus Christ. Turn to Him. Follow Him.