childbirth

this is something the Lrd gave me about 6 months ago. it's funny how He gives you things in advance before you know what they apply to. perhaps this can apply to my move to china....


"Don't worry. I will not be discussing my thoughts on the literal meaning of the term "childbirth", largely in part because it is not something I have experienced (nor something I plan to experience for quite some time), nor is it something worth discussing in detail.

When I say the word childbirth, I am alluding to its spiritual meaning, though will be making references to the literal process.

"There is always pain before the child is born."
I heard that quote today and is sparked a sense of awakening within my spirit. These are my thoughts as they came to me, then ordered so you might make sense of what I was trying to say. They have been spoken through me from the Lord.

G-d has planted a child within me, a seed of greatness and of accomplishment for His name's sake. He has given me a vision for my future. Though at this point in the process I'm not sure of the specifics for this vision, for example, whether it will be a boy or a girl, but I do know that I have a "baby" growing inside my spirit. So, like most expectant mothers, I have to embrace this bittersweet journey - a journey of time, pain, cravings and great joy in the end.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last..." (John 15:14-16a).

The Revelation
There's a moment in a woman's life when she first realizes that she is pregnant. That realization comes not immediately upon conception, but rather weeks later. The same is true with a G-d given vision. We may not know we have it until weeks later, but once the revelation comes upon you, it's life-changing, either for the good or for the bad.

Commitment - The Good or the Bad
Because G-d has chosen me for this journey, I have no choice but to take it. Sure, I could get an abortion, thus attempting to ignore my calling. But with that abortion, though temporarily relieved of the responsibility, I will have acted in disobedience, and live the rest of my days on Earth in guilt, continuing in the haunting "what if" mode. Many Chrstians abort their callings with several excuses - "I'm not ready to be a mother", "I haven't had a good role model for motherhood", "G-d, you've got the wrong person for the job", "It takes too much work/effort", "How will I know what to do when it gets here?", and the list continues. G-d is looking for servants that are willing to accept the challenges and commitment that an expectant mother would face - daily sacrifice to that which is growing inside of them. Is it any wonder J-sus uses the example of the cross when describing what it will be like to follow him? "...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The commitment is hard. The commitment is long. A normal pregnancy (without complications - that could be a whole other topic in itself) takes roughly 9 months before the the baby is born. Your vision might take 9 months, 9 years, or 90 years. Some mothers-to-be actually die while giving birth to their baby, thus involuntarily passing the responsibility to someone else. Your vision might not come to pass while you are still alive. Are you prepared to endure though you may not be the one to see it to completion?

Expansion
When a vision is planted within your spirit, there will always be some type of expansion. You can't be pregnant and not expand. Your thoughts and ideas turn to action - not everyone will be able to recognize the fact that your pregnant, but eventually, as the baby grows, you will expand. People around you will be able to physically see your vision growing and enlarging, forming a heartbeat. As time progresses, your vision will become clearer, being able to point out the fingers and toes. The vision has now become an obvious part of you, taking over and consuming your life. You'll have to get bigger clothes. Bigger clothes might be symbolic of new friends. Your old friends don't fit you anymore. You have outgrown them. Is it possible to keep wearing the same clothes while pregnant? Sure it is, but you'll find it quite uncomfortable.

Nourishment
Every expectant mother goes through her time of cravings. My mother went through a time of craving baked potatoes and chocolate shakes when she was pregnant with me. Why? Who knows... when you are pregnant with a vision, you might think and act in ways that are completely foreign to those around you. That will cause "contractions" or bits of tension, which I tend to shy away from since I have been known to be a "people pleaser", but that cannot be avoided - it's part of the natural process. When you are carrying out your vision, not everyone will be in agreement with you. J-sus was the only perfect one, and even he was crucified. However, cravings can also be detrimental. Cravings for the things you once were able to do or eat can be harmful to you and your unborn child, such as smoking or the consumption of alcohol, Caesar dressing or mayonnaise (http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/nutritioninpregn/a/aaabavoidfood.htm). The same is true when you are pregnant with a vision. Things that once filled your life can be possible agents of harm. You have to be willing to sacrifice those things for the well-being and protection of this precious vision you are carrying, including people and material possessions. You have to take on the nature of selflessness. You may not be able to see the effects until after it has been born. It is crucial to your future to fill your life with things that will "nourish and flourish", for example, fruits and vegetables and the essential vitamins, which spiritually speaking is the Word and other literature that stir up your gifts within you.

Pain
Just before the baby is born, a great deal of pain has to be endured. It seems like the worst time, when in actuality, the vision is moments away from its birth. Through the use of modern technology and the powerful medicines of today, women are able to birth their babies with little or no pain. Unfortunately, that is not the case when following the L-rd. There is no "epidural" to make you numb to the situation. There is always a cost, always a sacrifice. The closer we are to the Lord, the harder it will become. But, a promise is waiting. "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). Though you might go through 48 hours of labor, the reward in the end is worth it. You know have a precious little baby that needs nourishment and care in order to grow up and someday birth their own baby, their own vision.

The enemy will do everything in his power, which is quite limited when you think about it, to distract you from the vision you are carrying inside. He is afraid of the power that is being released while nurturing the vision, as well as the power that will be released when the vision is born. Focus on your Creator, focus on your vision. He has called you for a specific purpose.

David writes, "Many, O L-rd my G-d, are the wonders you have done. The things you have planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare" (Psalm 40:5)."

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an excerpt from Mere Christianity

"Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin and decay. But look for Chr-st and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."

~C.S. Lewis