Hannah

“Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, ‘How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.’” 1 Samuel 1:13-14
Hannah was a godly woman who desired a child more than anything else. She was one of her husband’s two wives; the other (Peninnah) taunted her for her barrenness. Finally Hannah, in desperation, made a vow to the Lord that if He gave her a son, she would give him back to the Lord to serve Him for life. It was at this moment that Eli saw her. Although he may have seen her before (since she came with the family every year to worship at the tabernacle), he didn’t really know her.
Eli was quick to judge. Notice Hannah’s gracious response (1 Sam. 1:15-16). While Eli doesn’t exactly apologise, he does change his tune and blesses her (1 Sam. 1:17).
It’s easy for us to misunderstand people and criticise them, without know what’s going on in their home life and what they are thinking in their heart. Let’s not be like Eli, quick to condemn somebody for some sin they haven’t even committed; instead showing compassion as a first response. And if we’re on the receiving end of some undue criticism, let’s be like Hannah and respond graciously when we correct the person’s misunderstanding.