I am about to enter a new season…Grand-parenting! I am going to be a grandmother very soon! Yipee!
My beautiful step-daughter Ashley is having a little boy and is in labor today. Oh, how I wish she didn’t have to go through what she will endure in the next few hours. Ask any woman who has given birth, and you will know, it’s a painful experience. But, it’s a pain that leads to a joy that is inexpressible. It’s that joy that I am excited to see in her face when she holds her precious little miracle.
But in the meantime…pain. Ugh!
You might not be giving birth to a child today, but you just might be in the middle of labor pains because God is birthing something new in your life or in your ministry. And in the middle of it all, pain is part of the process. If you are in life-labor, take heart. Pain, as much as we don’t like it, is good.
Pain is good. Really? It doesn’t feel good. In fact, in the middle of pain, it feels awful.
Feelings do not change the fact that often it is necessary to go through pain to birth something new in our hearts and in our lives. It comforts me to know that these hard things in life are addressed in God’s Word. I am not alone . We are all in process.
In the pages of Scripture, I find meaning to things that would otherwise pull me under. Things like the labor pains of life.
The Disciples were in grief when Jesus was telling them he would be leaving them, but he likened it to the pain of childbirth, with the promise of future joy.
” A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born in to the world.” John 16:21
What is it in your life today , in the meantime, that is painfully hard? Could it be that this time of pain and suffering is producing something, birthing something within the deepest part of you? As I look over the faithfulness of God in my own life I have had many times of pain. Rejections, betrayal, divorce, sickness, family difficulties…In the middle of each and every pain, it seemed that I should just lose hope. My feelings were high on discouragement. In the end, each time, in God’s faithfulness the pain was giving birth to something good.
Our feelings are just indicators of what our prayer list should include at any given time. What is the thing that you are thinking about, worried about, in pain about? That is the very thing you are to pray about. As many times a day as it comes to mind, throw it over onto the Lord, in prayer.
Whispers, sentences, real talk, tears. Prayer is not eloquent or wordy. Prayer is a call for help, an acknowledgement of our need of God’s intervention, and a statement of who we are putting our trust in. Throw the problems overboard!
“Casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:10-11
Many times during the day, when in a tough place, I pray the words of King Jehosophat:
“I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you” 2 Chronicles 20
Praying that God leads us to LOOK UP in our pain.
Joy is coming,
Debbie
Debbie, you are such an encourager! Thanks for sharing the important things you shared today. I so often get wrapped up in what I’m going thru that I fail to see that God is working in me. If I let God, He will stregthen me though the hard experience I’m going through. A lot of times though, I don’t let Him strengthen me because I don’t turn to Him or communicate with Him during a struggle I’m having. I try to fix it myself and when I think about it, I don’t feel that calmness inside until I surrender it to Him and lay it at His feet. And when I get to that point, it means my heart is ready for His help. And when my heart is right, I can grow even in pain and when the hard time is over, I have more to give to those around me and my heart is softer and my eyes are more open to the needs of others. And that’s how I see you, Debbie. You have a caring heart and a soft spot for those who are hurting because you have been though such pain yourself and that helps you to open up to others and share with them what you have learned. What you share changes lives. Your kindness, love and wise words of encouragement have forever impacted my heart. Thanks for all the reminders you give of what really matters most. I have spent so much time living like it doesn’t matter that I look up….but it deeply matters and it makes such a difference and I’m going to try harder and not give up.
Congratulations Debbie!
Grand-parenting is the best 🙂
Let’s connect one of these days to rejoice over the WiLD women we serve! WiLDfire is now an official non profit to equip women to live and lead well . . .