The Christian woman has tremendous opportunity for spiritual growth through the birth of her child. Centering the experience on God, instead of the world, will bring great satisfaction to the Christian woman. Trusting that God created your body, the labor process, and that He ordained pain during childbirth and believing all three with all your heart should be the central themes of your birth experience. This time of growth will result in a deeper understanding of your need for God and His love for you. This lesson will be one that will be needed daily in your life as a mother.
The Christian woman has tremendous opportunity for spiritual growth through the birth of her child.
As Christians, hopefully we are always searching for spiritual growth. We find opportunities everywhere, but often, huge opportunities are placed before us and we don’t even recognize them. I believe that spiritually growing Christian women are missing the opportunity for significant spiritual growth because they are afraid of pain and consumed by our culture. When you make labor and delivery all about the pain, I understand their logic. But what if you made it all about God? Isn’t God the focus of your life? Don’t you pray to God about all the little things? Why do you think God isn’t big enough to handle childbirth? Is He not the creator of it? Is not everything in your life, especially the big things, an opportunity for spiritual growth? Do you trust that as big and important as the birth of your baby is to you, it is that much more to God? I suggest that you give it over to Him. Truly see what God is teaching you through one of the best experiences of your life on Earth.
Centering the experience on God, instead of the world, will bring great satisfaction to the Christian woman.
As Christians, we try to live in the world, not of the world. We chose to do or not do so many things the same or very differently than non-believers. We try in many settings to be so different that people will wonder why and in some settings we just blend. In the world of childbirth, hospitals and obstetricians, most Christians tend to blend. For some reason, I believe fear of the unknown, Christians, like non-believers, place the obstetricians and even the nurses, up on a pedestal as the all-knowing. While I have great respect for the God-given talents of many obstetricians and nurses, I certainly don’t believe that my faith in them should surpass my faith in the Lord. Looking to a physician for answers regarding your overall birth experience instead of looking to God and within will be a mistake. I am so thankful for the knowledge and skill physicians are blessed with. As trained surgeons in situations where surgical delivery is necessary, they have the awesome ability to save the life of a mother and baby. In most cases, however, the labor and delivery of a baby is not a medical emergency, it is a natural process uniquely designed by God. As the medical community advances the care and treatment of the laboring woman, the process created by God is being altered. When we center our experience on the world, doing everything just as the world does, it can leave a spiritually growing woman dissatisfied. Why? I believe that deep inside, even among great discouragement, she believes God created the birthing process and that leaving God out of it, creates a spiritual emptiness in the experience.
Trusting that God created your body, the labor process, and that He ordained pain during childbirth and believing all three with all your heart should be the central themes of your birth experience.
So how can women make the experience about God? How can women make it through the pain of a natural birth? First, pray. Begin lifting up your pregnancy, labor, delivery and the baby up in your prayers. Tell God that you want to center this experience on Him and that you want to grow spiritually through it. Second, learn everything there is to know about your body and the labor process. Go beyond what you learn in a childbirth class. When you read a detailed text about the labor and delivery process, it is obvious that God is the creator of this miracle. Third, read what the Bible has to say. Genesis 3 tells us of the fall of man. Because of the fall, God tells Eve that He will greatly increase her pain in childbearing and that with pain she will give birth to her children. God tells Adam that he will work all of his days. We certainly don’t let our husbands get away without working! The bottom line is that pain during childbirth is biblical. God ordained it. Do I consider this a curse or punishment? No, it is a gift. Accepting it and you will be empowered by your knowledge of your body, the labor process and of God’s word. Complete faith and trust in your body’s ability to give birth, the labor process and of God’s ordination of pain will guide you through the labor. If you do not fear the pain because of your knowledge, it will be manageable.
There is something called the fear, tension, pain cycle many childbirth classes teach about. It says, the more afraid you are, the more tense you become, the more tense you are the more pain you feel, the more pain you feel the more afraid you become and so on. You have to stop this cycle. Do not fear this process. Equip yourself with knowledge and faith. When in the midst of a contraction do not doubt your body, labor or God. Face the contraction knowing each one is thinning and dilating your cervix, bringing you closer to holding your baby. Do not be afraid of the pain of that contraction, knowing pain is part of the process God created. Equip yourself with verses like “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 or “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29. Repeat these verses through contractions if only in your own head. Sing or listen to your favorite worship songs. Doing these things will remind you that God is in control and that you are relying on His strength, not your own.
I know this is easier said than done. I am not promising you that if you equip yourself with all of this knowledge it will be easy. Certainly something will happen to cause doubt. Satan always seems to know when to attack. Preventing a moment of true spiritual growth would be a great victory for him. When issues come up before and during labor, view them as attacks on your faith. Surround yourself with knowledgeable people who view the process as you do. Equip your husband with every bit of knowledge you have. He can be just the extra encouragement you need to make it through a tough contraction or decision.
If you only come away from this with one thing, it should be to trust that God created your body, the labor process, and that He ordained pain during childbirth and believe all three with all your heart.
This time of growth will result in a deeper understanding of your need for God and His love for you. This lesson will be one that will be needed daily in your life as a mother.
Your baby will be a constant reminder of the fruit a deep faith in the Lord will bear. How awesome that God would teach you such a lesson and then give you a living, breathing reminder everyday for the rest of your life. God knows that our children will test us. He knows we will be tempted. If we are raising them for the Lord, He knows our job will be extremely difficult. In His divine plan, He teaches us through the birth of our children to trust only in Him. He teaches us we can’t do it ourselves. He teaches that through our prayer only He can grant us our heart’s desire. What a comfort to know it is not about me, but Him.
Cary Lewis is a labor doula and mom of three. Using the information shared, Cary had a beautiful, spirit-filled labor and delivery that will inspire her always. Her heart was touched by God’s answering her specific prayers regarding the delivery just as a father grants his daughter’s every desire.
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