I have had the privilege of attending two home births this year. The experience has been something I will never forget!
I heard that the ideal circumstances for birthing are a quiet, dark and familiar room with an older mother figure nearby who sits and knits. This makes me chuckle. It sounds so old fashioned! The dark quietness of the mother's room helps to calm her. It is a safe area for her; an intimate place where she can relax. The older person represents someone who has been through this experience a couple of times. She has successfully birthed her own children and understands that there is no cause for alarm. The fact that she is knitting conveys the feeling of control, calm and comfort. The presence of these factors in an exciting yet stressful time enable the mother to relax in another woman's experiential knowledge and focus her full energy on surrendering to her body’s natural ability to successfully birth her baby.
There are precious similarities between the natural and the spiritual births. When we are spiritually reborn Jesus makes us new creations. He births us from above. Thinking back to the days and weeks leading up to our rebirth, most of us can testify to stress and pain. These were the birth pains: the external and internal pressures that brought us to our knees. Without these pressures we most assuredly would not have found it necessary to seek a Saviour. Throughout our Christian lives we are often confronted by pressure in our inward being: the conviction of the Helper to lay down our burdens and surrender totally to Jesus. When we heed these promptings we experience renewal, revival and a deeper intimacy with Jesus.
When you go through a stressful event, remember that you are safe in the quiet seclusion of Jesus’ hands, that He calmly attends you and ministers His peaceful presence. He is not stressed or anxious in any way because He has gone before you, He knows the way and He promises the fruit of surrender- peace and joy!
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Ps 30:5
The eternal God is your refuge and underneath His everlasting arms. Deut 33: 27
Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. James 1:2-4 (Living translation)
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