She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
– Proverbs 31:25
Wow! What an inspiring verse…right? Motherhood is such a blessing but it can also be frightful at times especially if you’re a soon to be mother. The unknown and uncertainty of what to expect during pregnancy and labor can be a little intimidating and worrisome. Every woman’s body and experience is different so no matter how many books you read, videos you watch or advice you take it doesn’t nescessarlily mean your going to go through the same thing. I can tell you first hand that this was the case for me with my first child.
It took four years until the Lord blessed me with my first-born. After very many negative pregnancy tests I had never been so happy to have finally seen a positive one. I got down on my knees and thanked the Lord right then and there and immediately told my husband. After the celebration and expression of gratitude I quickly felt an overwhelmingly sense of worry and fear.
A positive pregnancy test was only the beginning and it took me so long to get pregnant that I felt uncertain if I’d be able to stay that way for the full nine months. Of course I took all the precautions, kept my healthy eating habits as well as exercised and stretched daily but I still couldn’t get rid of that lingering worry and fear. I was blessed with such an amazing pregnancy and had no symptoms whatsoever but somehow I felt this wasn’t normal. It’s interesting what our minds can conjure up if we allow it to. I questioned why I didn’t feel pregnant. It wasn’t until my 5th month of pregnancy that I started to feel a little more confident about things and I delighted in feeling my little ones movements.
Then came the 8th month of pregnancy and I found myself suddenly dreaded by worry and fear again. I knew the time drew near for me to go into labor and I feared the unknown. What would it feel like? Is my baby going to be okay? Am I going to be able to handle this? What if something goes wrong? The questions just kept popping up in my head and although I was enjoying my pregnancy to the fullest I couldn’t help but to think about these things. Thank the Lord that everything turned out fine and although I did have a very difficult labor it wasn’t anything that I couldn’t handle with the Lord’s strength. John 16:21 “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” The moment I saw my beautiful baby boy and held him in my arms nothing but complete joy filled my heart. In hind sight I realize that much of my worrying was unnecessary and I could have saved myself the stress if I would have trusted the Lord and focused on the end result.
Take comfort in knowing that the Lord has prepared our mind and bodies for pregnancy and birth and don’t forget we were made for this. Psalm 139:14 “I praise you (God) because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” How great is our God that He creates life through us. For this reason we should not fear the unknown and remain secure in the fact that the Lord is in control and gives us strength. Isaiah 41:10 “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.” Remembering this should help us to stand up with strength and dignity through all of life’s circumstances because the Lord is on our side. Praise God!
Heaven & Earth Devotions 