Marlene has often said that I grew up in my own Mayberry RFD, and in many respects, I guess I did. Life was different in those days. Having said that, life was far from perfect. There were conveniences that many of us didn’t have, but most of us didn’t know that we didn’t have them. There were, however, a few who wanted to make sure that those of us who didn’t were aware that they had what we didn’t.

There was a woman in the Bible like that. Her name was Peninnah. Her story is found in 1 Samuel, chapter 1. Her husband was named Elkanah. Elkanah was not content with one wife; he thought he needed two. You can see trouble coming down the tracks already! Peninnah was able to have children, and she had several. The other wife was childless, and Peninnah took advantage of every opportunity to remind her that she did not have what she had, and it broke the heart of this second, barren wife.

Have you ever had people in your life whose sole purpose seemed to be to remind you of what you didn’t have? In some cases, what they perceive as their superiority is really an indication that they are inferior in many respects. While they want you to think they are better than you, it may be because they see something in you that you can’t see in yourself. They may even see something in you that is missing in their lives. The devil never wastes his time on people who lack potential. In this story in the Bible, a promise was about to overshadow the annoyance of ridicule.

How do we respond to Peninnah? Rather than seeking revenge, seek an altar, pour out your heart to God, weep bitter tears if you need to, but trust that God is in control of your destiny. In her distress, God saw her heart and gave her a promise that would soon be fulfilled. Her firstborn son would change the course of a nation’s history. In fact, if it were not for Hannah and her son Samuel, we would never even know who Peninnah was. She is really just a footnote to the story. After Hannah conceives and gives birth to Samuel, Peninnah is never mentioned again.

Don’t allow Peninnah to distract you from God’s plan for your life.