This week is nine years since my husband’s passing. April is not as bittersweet as it used to be. I’ve been able to remember more of the good, happy things and less of the many days, weeks, months of hospitals, tests, and treatments. I remember less of those fourteen months of hospice care and more of the time with Chuck when he was healthy.
And I am thankful.
As a widow, I have yet to recover from Lone Sock Syndrome, that feeling of useless, purposeless not belonging. Socks come in pairs because they function as a pair. What then do you do with a sock that has lost its mate? Mostly, you put it in a drawer out of the way in the hopes another mate will show up. Then, and only then, the lone sock will once again have purpose and a place to belong.
It would be a mistake for me to believe that the God who designed and formed me stitch by stitch does not have the ability to remake and repurpose me. But it is an arduous business to be unraveled thread by thread and resewn into something new. You have to surrender yourself to the process.
I like to imagine that I am being masterfully woven into a beautiful and ornate tapestry that will tell the story of God. I am but a single thread whose color and placement are skillfully chosen by the Creator to tell a story that only He knows in full.
Anna the Prophetess
(The entire passage of scripture can be read at this link: https://www.bible.com/bible/59/LUK.2.esv?parallel=463).
Luke shares in his gospel letter three verses (Luke 2:36-38) about a woman given the designation of prophetess. Little is known about Anna except that she was the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was married as a teen, as would have been the custom, and lived with her husband for seven years. For the next eighty-four years, Anna lived as a widow in the Temple, “worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Lu 2:37).
Luke writes that Anna was praying day and night for the redemption of Jerusalem. In this part of the story, Anna hears Simeon’s prophesy about the baby Christ-child being presented at the Temple (Lu 2:22-35) according to Jewish law. Anna then begins to give thanks and to tell the people around her that God has sent His Son, the Redeemer for which she has been praying for many years.
Life Lessons from Anna
Luke offers little biographical information about Anna. Why did she not remarry or move in with family members as would be the custom? Was she part of an ascetic Jewish movement that disavowed materialism? Was her title of prophetess conferred by the temple cult or by later Christians?
We can not know anymore than scripture gives us. Of the many ways Anna’s story speaks, I’d like to point out three notable aspects of Anna’s testimony.
1. Anna was content with her life with God.
Charitable deeds are always a result of a life of devotion to Christ. But she wasn’t driven to remarry, have a career, or fill her time with culturally relevant busyness. In Paul’s letter to Timothy (1 Tim 5), we see that widows are treated according to the needs of the widow. An ascetic life in the Temple is not prescriptive for all widows everywhere. Anna’s life of prayer and worship was her choice.
2. Anna believed God.
She knew the sacred writings of the Messiah to come. She believed that God had a plan to save his children.
If Anna was over one hundred years old, as scholars say, imagine the religious, cultural, and political changes she witnessed. She was present during the Hasmonean Civil War that ended when Rome besieged Jerusalem in 63 BC and Pompey desecrated the Holy of Holies. As thousands died during the conflict, she likely lost loved ones to the war. She would have been present when Herod the Great was placed as ruler over the region in 37 BC and witnessed his building projects accomplished by the slavery of his own people. She would have witnessed the rise to power of the Pharisee and Sadducee sects within the temple cult.
Where was Anna during all of this? She was in the Temple, praising and worshipping God, trusting that God will do what he promises. Evil, violence, and fearful times did not alter her faith in God.
3. Anna saw Jesus, the Messiah, in person.
A young mother and father brought their first-born son to the Temple for ritual purification and dedication. Anna was there, as she always was. Because of her faithful devotion, she met Jesus.
Anna lived a century waiting to see the answer to her prayers. God rewarded her faithful patience with the opportunity to be in the presence of Christ, the King. Anna began to tell everyone that listened that she had met the Savior. What a privilege to be one of Christ’s first witnesses!
The Cure for Lone Sock Syndrome
Anna did not suffer from Lone Sock Syndrome, the feeling that she had no purpose and no place to belong. That sense of grief and loss may never leave you. At the same time, grief and loss do not define your life.
Take it from Anna. The cure for Lone Sock Syndrome is to live your life in devotion to Christ. Anna found her purpose in prayer and worship and was content. Because she believed God to be faithful to his promises, she saw Jesus, God in the flesh, with her own eyes. No number of husbands, children, work accomplishments, or good deeds could have been a more precious reward than meeting Jesus.
If you ever get to feeling like a lost and lonely sock stuffed in a drawer, turn to Jesus. Christ gives everything purpose and makes it all worthwhile. While we can not go back in time to meet Jesus in the first century, we can worship and pray with patient perseverance, believing and trusting that the King is coming again!
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-3
Copyright @ TA Boland 2024
Image: Rembrandt, “The Prophetess Anna”, 1639 (photo: Public Domain)
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