I knelt beside the tired mama, helpless to bring relief as her eyes searched the room, searched the heavens, for relief. There was none. Pain had washed over every part of her physical being. We prayed, cried out: Lord relief, bring relief.
Body tense, the internal shifting of bones, so much pain…
Her darting eyes suddenly caught and locked with mine. That moment captured the overwhelming beauty in her. Outward pain commanded her attention, but her inner core of strength bore down into the foundation that would carry her through this transition. As God prepares new life to spring forth, transitional labor is the most exhausting, painful and overwhelming stage of birth.
“Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?” asks the Lord.” Isaiah 66.9
I personally believe that very few great things can be birthed by bypassing a slow process of pain. Or maybe…what is delivered is appreciated much more because of the pain.
In the hours that passed before I held a precious, beautiful boy, I learned a few spiritual lessons as we coached my friend through her pain:
- Change and transitions require time, work and fortitude.
- Accept the stage and season you’re in, and if it’s painful, embrace the process.
- Focus on what’s to come, not yourself.
- Rely on a support system, don’t go it alone. A cheerleader at the moment of exhaustion can be invaluable to pray and spur you on.
- The greatest pain shows up at the end of all the most laborious, tiring and demanding work…just before the delivery of the blessing.
Life is full of transitions, and few are without pain. Hold fast.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:36