My unborn baby has taught me spiritual lessons already. One of these is about anticipation and faith.
I never realized that the most difficult part of the whole pregnancy would be the last couple of weeks, and not necessarily because of the aches and pains. But not knowing when our little one will appear has been exhausting.
You see, there have been signs for weeks—I have been having contractions for 19 days now, the baby has dropped into the right position, and the midwives have said many times, "any day now." My husband and I go to bed thinking surely the baby will come in the night, and wake up every morning eagerly anticipating our new arrival that day. The rollercoaster ride of excitement and uncertainty has tired us out.
And we have discovered a new danger—getting overly excited too soon can leave us without the energy when the time actually comes. Yet, the bags must be packed and ready in the car, the cell phones kept by our sides at all times, and we no longer venture more than 30 minutes from the birthing center—just in case.
What spiritual lesson has this taught me?
I am reminded that we all are eagerly anticipating Christ's return and all the joy that will bring (after some necessary "childbirth pains"). We have seen signs that the times are coming, but we cannot know exactly when. He will come "as a thief in the night" (Matthew 24:42-44; Luke 12:35-40).
In the meantime, we must balance our zeal and excitement with being in it for the long haul; we must metaphorically have the bags packed and in the car, always on the ready, yet living our lives day-to-day the best we can while we wait. We must go to bed every night and wake up every morning with that same hope and prayer—and yet not lose faith or energy when it doesn't happen yet.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Paul writes that Christ will return as a thief in the night and as suddenly as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and that we should not let this event overtake us unaware. My husband and I cannot wait to meet our little one, who surely is coming soon; even more should we be eager to meet our Savior!
