Perspectives from "Mum's the word"
Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. (Ps.127) When I first found out I was pregnant, I was a flurry of daydreams obsessed with chubby thighs, kiss curls and softly fragranced hugs. In fact, it was only at my first scan that the gravity of the whole idea hit home. There I was staring at the little dot on the screen that was no bigger than the head of a drawing pin, thinking that in just a few months, it will grow into a full person, with its own will, potential and story. Suddenly my little dot took on a whole magnitude of meaning and, as many Christian mothers will testify, instantly brought me back to the grassroots of my faith, creation. For me, being pregnant cemented my faith, unequivocally and without question. For the first time, I felt absolute conviction that we weren’t a happy scientific coincidence and capricious cacophony of cells, we are, each one, a perfect tapestry of God’s own hand. I simply couldn’t account for every single miracle that happened between each and every scan. (Not least that we found the money every few weeks to be able to afford them!) It was with perfect timing and orchestration that my little dot thrashed and writhed until it became a she and she became a real little person that we could see blinking and smiling; ‘fruit of the womb’ indeed. Nothing prepared me for the hours I would spend meditating between myself, my unborn child and the Lord. Giving thanks and praise one minute and pleading frantically for Grace and protection the next. I found myself fretting over her first day at school, whether she’d have any friends, whether she’d be a happy child, what I’d do the first time she fell over and hurt herself or what would happen if I wasn’t there to catch her. And then my husband gently reminded me of the incredible words of reassurance that literally burst out of the Bible. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to give all our worries and cares to the Lord, for He cares. This is repeated in Psalm 55:22 where we are told we’ll be sustained by the Lord if we just give our cares to Him. And my personal favourite, in Matthew 6 where we are reminded of how even the birds and the lilies are catered for; we really don’t need to worry. This was such solace for, quite frankly, a wildly neurotic first time Mum-to-Be. It’s at times like these that I realise faith itself is a blessing. When, in the black of night (and a pregnant woman spends a lot of time wide awake in the black of night), little niggling doubts, questions and worries can creep in and see you Googling the most ridiculous of symptoms, your best option really is to Google Bible quotes about trusting in a Lord that provides for you. Nothing can calm a pregnant woman’s raging hormones like Exodus’ ‘The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.’ (15:2) and Isaiah’s ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ Amen! Christians are spoilt for choice when it comes to reassurance through God’s Word. Which is not something to take for granted for the average pregnant woman who worries about everything from her husband no longer finding her attractive to not feeling that immediate magical bond with her new baby that they promise in all the literature you’re bombarded with during your pregnancy. But we just need to trust that our baby’s journey is the same journey that Jesus Himself travelled through as he came to Earth. There was no R10,000 sleigh cot waiting for Him, He didn’t need the latest stroller, His onesies didn’t need to be made from rare organic cotton at R100 a pop – Mums need to remember the important truth that the only thing your new baby will really need is you and the only thing you really need is faith that it really will all work out fine. You are in very good hands, the right of which is majestic in power, the left will shatter the enemy (Exodus15:6) – even if that enemy is your own worry. Now go and read more, while you still have some time to yourself!
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Important: The views expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect the official position of our church
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June 2015
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