{Preparing My Heart}

There has been a fair bit of nesting going on in my house the last 2 weeks. I’ve been working through a massive to-do list that I felt had to be completed in order for this baby to be born (which of course, is complete nonsense; the Tupperware cupboard being organised is not a general requirement from newborn babies!).

These last couple of days though I have felt myself turn more inward. Turn off the external and start focusing on the birth itself. Preparing my heart for this massive event and the changes that ensue. While nesting is an important part of getting the house physically ready, making sure my heart and spirit are emotionally switched on is even more essential.

For me, this means spending time with God, reading His word, telling Him my fears and praying specifically over every aspect of the birth.

I've gotta be honest, in the natural I can tend to be an anxious sort. Worrying myself into some sort of frenzy. In addition to that I have a relatively low pain threshold. I will cry if I bump my head or stub my toe and/or lash out at whatever caused the pain. These two factors combined could make for dire outcomes in the birthing arena...in the natural. 

Luckily (for me and J) I believe in the Supernatural - nope, not the weird alien type but the powerful God type. The type that believes that there is amazing power in prayer and refuses to believe in random chance and coincidences.

Promises...

Here are a few thoughts about preparing my heart:

* The Bible tells me repeatedly that I can and should pray specifically over issues. This means I can talk to God about every aspect of birth and labour. Tell God what I need, what I fear and how I am feeling.

John 14:12-14 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

1 John 5.14-15 - “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

* Fear hinders the birthing process in an amazing array of ways. Be informed. In this case, ignorance is not bliss. Know what is physiologically happening in your body and what happens when fear gets involved. I know I need to spend time processing what it is that I fear and lay it down before God. I need to spend time meditating on what God says about fear. He is faithful to replace it with a crazy amount of peace. A couple of my favourite verses are below:

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (NLT)

2 Timothy 1:7  - “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

* Finally, I need to examine my heart and ask God to show me any areas where I might be trusting in my own strength and not His.

I spent time preparing my heart in the days leading up to H-bomb's birth and can thoroughly recommend it. I can clearly see His hand over every aspect of the labour/birth/breastfeeding/sleeping journey etc.

Are you pregnant? Preparing for birth? Can I encourage you to seek God about every aspect of your labour. Tell Him your requests and believe in Faith that he hears you.

This does not mean that God can be turned on and off like a tap. 

God is and will always be absolutely sovereign. 

But he wants us to come to him with our requests, as children do their fathers, and like our earthly fathers, it is His pleasure to grant our requests subject to his purposes and knowledge of what is best for us.