We don't know much about Peninnah in 1 Samuel 1:1-8, but the little we do isn't nice. Perhaps she was jealous of Elkanah's love for Hannah, but regardless, she used the family's annual visits to Shiloh to remind her rival of her childless state while surrounded by her own sons and daughters. So year after year, Peninnah rubbed salt in the wound to Hannah's great distress. The text doesn't say what went on at home, but I can't imagine it was any better. It would be easy to say, "What an uncompassionate woman! I would never do anything like that!" Or would I? Before we condemn Peninnah too readily, we should perhaps reflect on the way public worship can indeed become a time for the raw exposure of our past sins, our failings, and even our struggles with the abnormalities of life. What should be an occasion of joy for the worshipper can become a time to be reminded of how one's life has been a series of disappointments. It is a frequent occ...