All of the changes, challenges and obstacles that I have been going though lately have in turn been a blessing and “given birth” to a “new life”. All of the things that were challenges, obstacles, set backs, wrong turns, and potholes, have been a process of my life and my journey. Out of all the pain, a more grounded and enlightened person has emerged and right on time, (despite me thinking I was set back and off course many times). I love analogies, they to tie things (that can sometimes be complex) back to something familiar and simple.. The physical pain of labor is much life the pain we endure; as we labor through the journey of new life that God designed for us to be born into our purpose.
I thought about when we are in the womb, we are growing and comfortable and cozy and settle in so-to –speak, for the next 9 months. We become dependent on our mother and her body to feed, nurture and sustain our life. Just as we become comfortable., the space becomes tight, so tight that we can barely move and are uncomfortable. There is literally no more space, but we are still growing.., but also growing out of the space. That is when the mother’s body /womb starts the process of pushing us out.
The womb starts to contract, and the space that we had grown so accustomed and comfortable to, is no longer the cozy place we once wanted to stay in, now we want out! We want out so we can stretch and move and BREATH! The pain is smothering us. The womb continually squeezes so tight that we are now looking for a way out, for awhile its dark, scary and we panic and wiggle and fight against it.
We are in so much uncomfortable pain; that we can’t understand the purpose of the pain is to ultimately help us get out of the tight, dark cramped space. Wait, what is that?? We begin to see a small glimpse of light, and now were anxious and fighting to go TOWARDS the light; because the light is looking a lot better than the dark cramped space we are trying to get out of! We finally emerge, tired, and a little bruised; we scream, cry, and take that first breath and it’s AMAZING! Its actually refreshing and exhilarating!
There is now plenty of room to stretch and move and the space is endless!!! Ahhh, we now have forgotten all about that other space and are wide-eyed and excited to take in the new sights and become familiar with our new “space”. New life has been given and we are born!
The definition of life is: the ability to grow, change, etc., that separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks: the period of time when a person is alive: the experience of being alive
“Life” is the same process on the outside of the womb. We use the term so freely and yet forget that the word “life” is so much more than a noun.. it’s a process.
We get comfortable in our current “space” which can be a relationship, job, friendship, etc. It becomes tight and smothering and we stop growing to our full potential, , were stifled and yet we know that there has to be more “room”/ opportunity for us outside the current space we’re in. Ultimately, that comfortable “space” (i.e relationship, job, friendship, etc.) begins to change and push us out into something else. We begin to see that there is time for a change and there is more!
Getting out of that space is going to hurt, we’re going to cry and scream, verbally, mentally & emotionally. Its going to leave us bruised and even scarred, your literally going to have to “fight for your life” to “get out” the other end. But you will come out, because staying in that space is not an option and is not what God intended when he originally planted his seed (you) in that space. It was only for a season until you were “matured” and ready to emerge and sustain yourself in your new “space”.