Birth Pains

“...when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain...” 

John 16:21

Just yesterday evening, my friends and I were talking about being in labor and giving birth to our children. One of my friends was an obstetrician and she had to go back to her clinic after our meeting to deliver two babies! 

I recounted how my sister and I were pregnant at the same time. She was in labor for a long time, and even the doctor was in anguish for her, so when it came time to deliver her second child, the doctor decided on a caesarian delivery. That was also difficult because recuperation took so much longer. But just like Jesus said, when she had given birth, she no longer remembered the pain because of her joy that her child was born into the world. 

In life, we go through a lot of growing pains. When we grow a family, a business, a ministry, a talent, an ability, we always have to undergo some training, challenges, complications, pruning, etc. It is definitely not smooth sailing. 

Steven Covey wrote: “Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition- such as lifting weights- we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” The challenges we have to face can be building blocks and stepping stones to learning and growing in the purpose God has for us.