But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
1 Samuel 1:5-7

As the middle child of three sisters, I know comparison well. I grew up with teachers constantly recognizing my last name and comparing me to my sisters. The measuring stick I grew up with surrounded me in my birth order.

Even if you don’t have a sister, you probably know the metaphorical measuring stick in one form or another. Maybe it’s your next door neighbor's perfect garden beside your overgrown weeds, your coworkers' high achieving tendencies beside you as you’re late to every meeting, or that one friend who is living the reality that you’ve been praying for for years.

For Hannah, her metaphorical measuring stick came in the form of Peninnah. Hannah’s greatest wound was presented across the dinner table as Peninnah lived what she was desperately desiring.

With Peninnah at her side taunting her, Hannah was miserable. Year after year she wept and didn’t eat because of this painful comparison.

Here’s a little spoiler for you–eventually something in Hannah shifts. She stands up, prays, and encounters God. This is the part that gets the most attention because after this encounter Hannah’s inner life is transformed. She leaves with her head held high and returns home to become pregnant, receiving her miracle.

We all want to fast-forward to get to the miracle.

Yet, we live in a reality where we’re often at a figurative dinner table watching someone else receive what we prayed for. When we find ourselves facing comparison, the best way to shift our focus is to look for opportunities to worship God.

God provided generously for Hannah through her husband. Yet she spent her time in a place of worship looking over her shoulder instead of looking at God.

It’s easy to place blame on Peninnah. However, I think we have a lot to learn about our responsibility from Hannah. After Hannah’s moment of prayer with God, we don’t read about Peninnah anymore. If we were watching the Bible as a play, I don’t think Peninnah is off stage. I think Hannah has just stopped looking at her.

We control where our focus goes. We have the opportunity to focus on what God has given us (in Hannah’s case, a double portion!) and to meet and encounter Him.

Prayer:
Lord, help us to fix our eyes on you instead of comparing our circumstances. Help us to trust your timeline and provision for our lives. Guide us throughout our day to see opportunities to respond in praise and thanksgiving to what you have placed in front of us in our present circumstances. Amen.

Dig Deeper:
But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. (Galatians 6:4-5)

Discussion Questions:

What has God generously provided for you in your present season?
How can you shift your attention and put down the metaphorical measuring stick you are using to compare?

About Molly Wilcox

Author & Coach

Molly Wilcox is an author and coach. She has an English degree and has been featured on Bible Gateway, Darling Magazine, Grit & Virtue, and Way Media. Her weekly newsletter “Threshold” invites others to transform their mundane moments into holy ones.

As a certified Hope*Writers coach she empowers faithful creatives to chase after their God-given dreams. When she isn’t writing, reading or coaching, she’s probably showing a stranger pictures of her mini goldendoodle pup.

She lives with her husband in Franklin, TN. To connect with Molly find her blog at MrsMollyWilcox.com or find her on social media @MrsMollyWilcox