I was going through some old posts on my anonymous blog and came across this goodie. I hope it blesses you…re-reading it sure does bless me. The beginning spoke on the sacrifices one makes when pregnant. It totally translates to being pregnant with purpose, which is my pregnancy (I would like to attribute this to any extra weight you may notice….shut up). Anyway…enjoy!
During labor, when the pain became too great, when the pressure was too great, I didn’t care who was in the room. The janitor could’ve been watching and I would not have given two hoots. Whoever could help, was welcome! You tend to lose all modesty at that point. You scream, you grunt…for most, you are taken out of character, in an effort to bring this person into the world….or more so, get this person out of you. After the birth of my oldest, they laid him on my chest and the wusband said “Hold him Vee”. “I can’t”, I replied. “You grab him”. It was not that I didn’t want to, because I most certainly did. It was that, the whole process of giving birth had taken such a toll on me that I couldn’t quite move yet. My lower half had been numbed (thank the good Lord for THAT drug!) and my upper half had been shocked. I was told this was normal. It would take a few minutes for me to transition from shaking to actually gaining control of my body. When I was finally able to hold him….I can’t describe to you that feeling, that moment. I thought to myself “I can totally do this again! He is so worth it”.
Gearing up for the second pregnancy, I thought I knew what to expect, but I didn’t. It was a different experience. The aches and pains were different. The baby liked to sit on this nerve that shot pain in my back. He would move around so much I didn’t get much sleep. He moved around so, that if he was still for more than an hour I was at the doctor demanding they make sure he was ok. I had headaches that had me hospitalized twice. His delivery came two weeks ahead of schedule, which meant we had to rush to the hospital vs the scheduled delivery of his older brother. A random doctor had to deliver him, it was 2 am….no grandma’s were there to be the cheering section. And my arms were mobile this time, I held him right away. And the same love was there, just as strong.
I now get the pregnancy analogy as it pertains to purpose.
- You have to protect what’s inside of you. Cover your purpose in prayer of thankfulness and protection. Thankful for the miracle, that he chose you for the miracle. And protection because the minute that purpose is conceived, the enemy is after it. Just like every parent needs to pray over their babies, from the womb to the end, we also need to pray over the purpose that God places in us. The enemy is after that as well. He goes to great lengths and he fights dirty. Asking God for HIS protection is crucial! “My one defense, my righteousness, Oh God how I need you”.
- Pregnancy ain’t easy. And neither is purpose. It comes with aches and pains. It keeps us up sometimes. The process can be uncomfortable. Just like our bodies have to adjust as the baby grows to term, our spiritual bodies have to adjust as our purpose takes form, as greatness forms. While others may seem to have an easy time with whatever they are dealing with, we tend to feel all out of sorts with our purpose. Stay on task…one way or the other, you will deliver.
- Each new purpose that is placed in you will be different. Related probably, but different. Just like you should not compare your situation to others, don’t compare your situations with your other situations. God takes us through different things, to show us different things. So don’t assume each purpose, has the same purpose. But they will all put you closer to where you need to be!
- It’s worth it. The first time I saw my oldest son, I knew how much worth, how much value he held. In that very instant, seconds after he literally ripped out my insides to get here, I had forgotten the pain. I forgot the contractions (Braxton and regular), heart burn, burps of lighter fluid (long story), sleepless nights…none of it mattered. I immediately thought “I could do this again”. CRAZY!! But true! The same is true when I first laid eyes on my second. He was worth every tear, every pound that I gained (even the leftover ones I still carry to this day), every stretch mark, every ultra sound in which he slid to the other side of my stomach so we couldn’t capture his image. He was worth it. Every pinched nerve he laid on. Your purpose, whatever God has placed in you to mature you, and to build His kingdom, and to help his people, is worth every obstacle along the way! Aches and pains will come. But there is glory after that!
- You will need a level of transparency during your pregnancy and delivery. Just like some tend to hide the “bump” for the first couple of months, eventually there is proof that something is cooking in the oven. The more that my purpose grows in me, the harder it is to hide my purpose, my story and what God puts in me to say. I’ve learned that eventually, people see it. And during delivery, when the purpose is too great to hold it inside, it won’t matter who is around to witness it. Which can be embarrassing. But remember #4…it’s worth it.
- You need a team (Bishop Jakes said it first). I could’ve delivered by myself. But I am so glad that I didn’t have to. God places people in your life at just the right points in your pregnancy who offer the right advice, encouragement and help. And God sends help after delivery. I couldn’t hold my oldest directly after birth, but there was someone there to hold him for me, clean him up, clean me up, and protect us and reunite us. Surround yourself with others that will encourage you to push, encourage you to hold the baby, encourage you to keep moving, encourage you to grow.
- Prepare as best you can. You never know. You may go into labor earlier then expected. The miracle of delivery doesn’t always go according to your calendar.
Just like I look back, thankful for everything that got my boys here, I’m learning to do the same for this current process I’m in, because I know I’m in purpose. And the outcome will be awesome!!
Are ya’ll gone hold my hand when I push?
Romans 5:3-5 says “Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of [a]character (approved faith and [b]tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] [c]joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us”.
There is a purpose for every pain that we go through. Keep pushing!
