Needless to say I have had childbirth on my mind. I have come to the end of my 6th pregnancy. Thursday labor will be induced. And well, no matter how you slice it childbirth hurts.
- Then he said to the woman,“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. Gen 3:16
- The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty. 1 Tim. 2:14-15
- Be happy, woman—you who cannot have children. Be glad you never gave birth. Shout and cry with joy! You never felt those labor pains. Gal. 4:26 ERV
So what’s the point of all the pain? Through the end of this pregnancy I have aching hips, a sore back, and inexplicable muscle twinges. My feet are puffy, my nerves are shot, and I am just done. Well, all except for BIG HURT that lies ahead. I get to push a human being out of my body.
And through all my discomfort, restlessness and pain, I hear God saying, “I never wanted it this way.” God didn’t create life in me to see me suffer. He created me for perfect peace with him. He created all of us for perfect, peaceful fellowship with him. And that fellowship was peaceful until Eve turned her back on it and took the hand of the serpent.
I could get mad at Eve and blame her for all my troubles, but I am pretty sure that if I was standing in that garden that day with my husband I would have done the same thing. I have done the same thing, just under different circumstances, in a different time and place. Eve’s sin just effected all women of all time. Her sin gave us the pain of child-bearing.
In my misery, I am reminded of something today, sin still hurts. Our sin doesn’t hurt just us. No, the consequences of one act of disobedience to a holy God can reverberate throughout time.
But God soon reminds me of another more powerful truth spoken by Jesus, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
He has overcome. And soon, soon I will too.
