There is nothing like waiting, the unknown, and being taken out of your comfort zone to stretch both your trust and your fulfillment in God.
When you first find out that you have a precious little life beginning in your womb that God providentially and graciously decided to open, immediately a mix of emotions rush in like a tidal wave. Pregnancy, especially with the first child, brings about a complex physical, mental, emotional and spiritual journey. Expectant mom, new mom, seasoned mom… embark into these uncharted territories (remember last week’s devotionals?), as well as the road ahead as you walk out your Motherhood, with the boldness to surrender your full trust in our God who is sovereign and good. Easier said than done right? Thankfully, we have a God who cares about every detail of our lives because He is perfect in the way He loves. He loves you (and your Little One) more in one moment than any person ever could in a lifetime. And because God cares for our well-being, He is proactive in refining our hearts all to conform us to the image of Christ our Saviour, which is the most loving thing for our Holy God to do for sinners. That is, for God to send His only begotten Son to take on the punishment for sin on our behalf and then rise in victory to give us new life in Him and then purify us throughout our earthly lives to make us more like Him — THAT IS the most loving thing in all the universe in all of history and THE God of the universe did that for you and for me.
God conforms us to Christ and brings us into a deeper relationship via a deeper understanding of Him in a myriad of ways. Ultimately, He does this through His Word; subsequently, God stretches us in order to draw us to Himself and bring us to a place of complete reliance on Him because He is the safest, most trustworthy place to be. Many Scriptures reassures us that God is our refuge, a stronghold, a mighty tower that will never topple (Psalm 46:1, for example), and so dwelling in His shadow, abiding in Him, relying utterly on Him is living with complete security in this life and the next. Psalm 91:1-2 says this…
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust””
Pregnancy, labor & delivery, and those first couple of months postpartum have no lack of pain, awkwardness, and discomfort. From the usual symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and mood swings to the more surprising ones (insomnia, rashes, hemmorhoids, anemia, etc.) mothers experience a host of things that stretch our capacity to trust God’s sovereignty and seek His comfort, strength, and wisdom… sometimes minute by minute. Your belly and the rest of your body stretches at an amazing rate throughout your pregnancy, especially in the third trimester. The same goes for your mind and spirit as well. What comes with that stretching are inevitable growing pains, the awkwardness and shell-shock of seeing your body appear as it had never looked before, and the discomfort of trying to adapt to new ways of functioning (sleeping, walking, bending, etc) and the list can go on. Pregnancy and God’s refining fire are parallel in this way. Pain, awkwardness, discomfort — why would anyone sign up for this intentionally? The answer is simple: because we anticipate the beautiful, joy-filled, life-changing blessing on the other side of all the crazy things we have to go through. Such is pregnancy and motherhood. Such is the purifying, refining fire which God has us endure as He stretches us in conformity to Christ.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
- What has been the most challenging aspect of motherhood for you and how has God stretched or is stretching you?
- In what ways is God conforming you more into Christ’s likeness?
Prayer Prompt:
Pray for God to strengthen you in His stretching of you. Ask Him to reveal deeper truths of His Word to you so that you can find joy in Christ at every stage of Motherhood.