In Genesis chapter 3, God shows us that Eve’s judgement for her sin included pain in childbirth as well as the desire to control her husband and usurp his authority even though he has the God-ordained role to have authority over her (speaking of rank in the family, not importance; with that authority the husband has the weighty responsibility to God and his family to use his authority with compassion and wisdom for the well-being of his household). As descendents of Eve, we have inherited this innate desire to control, not just our husbands, but every aspect of our lives. But let’s take a look at our lives and that desire to control, as well as, how we feel when we perceive that control has slipped through our fingers. If we are honest with ourselves, we realize that any control we thought we had over our circumstances was just an illusion we created for ourselves. Ultimately, that desire to control is the sin of exalting ourselves over God. In other words, when we attempt to have control over our circumstances to the point of discomfort, despair, and frustration for feeling out of control we are expressing outwardly what is in our hearts… a distrust of God; refusal to surrender to God’s sovereignty and rely fully upon Him. In fact, this kind of exaltation of self steals God’s glory for the self, not that you CAN take glory from Almighty Holy God, but it is the situation of the heart. We can attribute that to our fallen nature which naturally finds reasons to rebel against God. But before you spiral into self-condemnation and guilt, know that there is hope. Thanks be to God that Jesus Christ saved us from The Father’s wrath, from sin as well as the shame and guilt of sin. Because we are adopted children of God, when convicted of our sin we can go to Him with contrition in our hearts and believe that He is faithful and merciful to forgive; that is the special Grace that we can take ahold of because we are in Christ. And since we are in Christ, we can be comforted and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts so that sin — including the desire to control — does not define and dominate us but it is something we can learn from, turn away from, and draw us back into Christ’s love and the assurance of our salvation.
In The Garden, God turned a terrible situation into the prelude to the most astonishing, marvelous, beautiful love & redemption story in all the universe, in all of history. Yes, God judged and cursed mankind (which had a ripple effect on all life, including animals. Read more on that here and here) as He was just to do so, but in His stunning love and mercy He also provided a way to restoration by the promise of a seed of Eve to crush the serpent’s head. The Good News of The Gospel promises us that with our salvation we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, regenerating our hearts and purifying us over our lifetime so that more and more we learn to display Christ to a broken, sinful world. God uses pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood to remind us that we are never in control. We have a part to play with what He has given us, but truly, all control in all things belong to Him. So when you feel the aches, pains, anxieties, fears, and frustrations of pregnancy, childbirth, or motherhood allow that to remind you to let go of that natural, sinful desire to maintain control and wanting to know what is ahead, stop obsessing over every possible outcome, and remember God’s sovereignty and goodness.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
- What are some things that you are still clinging to control of rather than clinging to The Cross?
Prayer Prompt:
Ask God to help you surrender control for His glory and for your good.