All of life is about change and transition. We change, the people around us change, the world, even landscape along the road you ride down every day. New shops, subdivisions, and Starbucks seem to appear daily.
We go from being part of a certain family, leaving for college, a job or just moving out, then usually onto marriage and a new family. Then, just when you adjust to that new spouse in your life, the baby arrives. Babies, cause nothing but change. You change diapers, clothes, bottles, perspectives, attitudes, everything. Soon babies grow into children who require different things from you. The children grow into teens, and the teens grow into wonderful new challenges that produce one of the greatest transition tests, the test of letting go.
Now, we all know life has many transitions, yet I find that in times of transition few people process it well. We all need to have greater grace to understand and walk with wisdom in the timings, seasons and proper progressions of what God is doing not only in us but in those around us.
The first area I want to talk about is Birthing. Now men don’t run away from this topic, I believe this analogy fits well with what I want to teach. Besides, women have heard a million analogies about football, basketball and Braveheart, etc (yawn-just kidding) and we can grasp the truths with open hearts, because some of us women are Bravehearts! Anyway, here I go with birthing. Men hold on tight.
God is a creator and life giver. He requires us to birth things in the earth. Often that is a term used when referring to intense prayer or intercession. It can be called birthing prayer. Well, we all have dreams in our hearts, some realized and some unrealized. In the unrealized state you could be considered pregnant with an idea, concept or dream. During this time, it is important to be careful “what you eat”, and to take care of that “baby” dream inside of you. You need to nurture it with the right care and proper thoughts, read inspiring books on the area that connects to it, pray a lot for God to bless it and to bring it forth.
Once you have carried something for a long time something switches and it seems as if great frustration seems to be your companion. Moodiness, lack of sleep, people bugging you, an overall sense of “I’m sick of being pregnant” could I get this baby out of me!!!
Now the new fun begins, active labor. According to Jennifer VanderLaan, “As active labor progresses, you will become more serious or “focused”. You will naturally spend less energy on “non-labor” activities such as moving or talking. The increased focus it takes to labor prevents concerns with societal norms leading to decrease in modesty and the pleasantries of conversation.” [i] (All the women who’ve had babies say, “AMEN!”)
As a mother, I completely understand the truth of those things having experienced them in the natural. Yet, I cannot but help to see how they can be applied to destiny and dreams. So when it becomes time to produce something in the natural it requires more focus. You will stop doing extra things that don’t help your labor (watching t.v., spending time with friends, reading books that don’t help the dream). Often, you will find a “decrease in modesty”—talking more positively about yourself, declaring what you are doing and accomplishing, some might interpret it as pride rather than strength of focus or conviction. Also, you probably won’t have time for pleasant conversations (“chit, chat”), any extra time needs to be spent talking to God getting His heart and mind, talking with those called alongside you to build, talking out the plan.
“Many women, find themselves tuning out the world around them, sometimes called “going inside yourself,” helps them to stay relaxed and handle the labor/contractions more effectively. For those it is the focusing phase, this is when you might feel as though no one understands; you tune out the world and don’t want anyone to touch you. It causes your focus to be lost if people “touch it” at this point because they don’t always understand where you are and what is going on. If they “touch it” through putting their two cents worth in it can often hinder you, send you in a wrong direction or cause you to lose precious emotional or mental time.
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