New life must be birthed into existence. And this often requires the increasing pains of labor beforehand. Many times we must allow things to heat up and become more intense before new life breaks through.
The change we want to see is rarely just given to us. Even when our desire is pure and our vision is clear, we must still go through the process of labor in order to bring it into living reality.
And things often seem to get worse before they get better.
For instance, we want to do work that matters and use our strength to bring good into the world. But this journey is disruptive and labor intensive. It takes a toll on us mentally, emotionally, and often financially as well.
It would be easier just to settle back into the status quo. But if we’re willing to endure the pain of becoming we can eventually enjoy the fruit of our labor.
And the same holds true for our relationships.
We know we’re not experiencing God’s best but we play it safe – not rocking the boat and faking the peace. The labor here is our willingness not to shy away from hard conversations and points of tension.
Perhaps we have desires that make the other uncomfortable. And it would be easier to just not bring it up anymore. But something inside us starts to die.
Naming the good we desire will likely rock the boat. And we must endure the initial misunderstandings, accusations, and grief before hopefully coming out on the other side with a deeper connection and appreciation of each other.
Labor doesn’t last forever. But in the moment it can be so overwhelming we don’t want to continue.
Much grace is needed to endure the intense and often prolonged moments of birthing throughout life.
But the joy on the other side makes the labor pains worth it all.
Photo by Arteida MjESHTRI on Unsplash
