A couple of weeks ago, I woke up and randomly started scrolling through videos of childbirth on Instagram. Yes, I know that is just a little weird but I have always wondered what took place during childbirth so could you blame me?! Anyways, I spent about an hour on social media watching random people give birth to their babies and the joy on their faces after seeing their child was priceless. After I finally rolled out of bed to spend time with God, I realized that I am so not ready to have a baby (thankfully) and in that moment I heard God say that it’s birthing season. For this reason, I have declared 2019 to be my birthing season.
The process of childbirth scares me beyond what I could ever express in words. I have heard various horror stories about how people lose their lives during childbirth that I started to wonder if adoption might be the safest route for me to take. Now thankfully, I do not have to worry about giving birth to a physical child for another couple of years *exhales* but something God has been showing me recently is that the process of birthing a physical child is very similar to the process of birthing whatever it is that God has placed on the inside of you. The truth is that there is something God wants to birth in and through you this year. For some it could be a new ministry, a new career, a new relationship, new level of intimacy with Him and the list is inexhaustible. However, birthing season does not have to be scary, it is simply a process of faith.
When a woman is in labor, there is simply one word that is repeated to her and that word is “Push”. This new year, I simply want to encourage you to push! There are things that God has placed on the inside of you and it may not always be the easiest process to bring it into manifestation but regardless of how painful the labor may be, I want to encourage you to keep pushing! There will be days when you don’t feel like pushing and the exhaustion of labor sets in but whenever that happens, go back to God to receive strength to keep pushing anyways. In 2019, I want to encourage you to push past your feelings into the purpose God has for your life. John 16:21 says “A woman while she is giving birth has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” Birthing season may be a painful season but I want to encourage you to push through the pain, disappointments and hurts and simply focus on the joy that is ahead of you. The painful season does not last long because ultimately birth simply represents a new season. You have all the resources you need to birth the baby God has placed on the inside of you. The beautiful thing that happens when you start pushing is that, God will pull. God will not simply walk out of the room when you are in labor, but he will be with you every step of the way and bless every effort you make towards fulfilling the purpose He has for you life.
Another thing I want to encourage you to do this year is to surround yourself with spiritual midwives who can help you birth everything God has placed on the inside of you. Spiritual midwives can simply be classified as people who can pray you into purpose, encourage you when you want to give up on your calling, assist you with resources as needed and most importantly they are those who can stand by you till you give birth to your purpose. It is important to be vulnerable with the midwives that God has placed in your life. Imagine if a pregnant woman who was in labor came into a delivery room but she insisted that she did not want anyone else to see her in labor because she did not look her best. That will make no sense because we all understand that the process of delivery is not designed for a woman to look her best or be on her best behavior. It is impossible to go through the process of Childbirth by yourself and in this season, I want you to surround yourself with a Godly community. During your birthing season, it is important to be willing to be uncovered so that your spiritual midwives can step in and help you with your delivery process. Share your fears, doubts and struggles with your spiritual midwives so that they can help you push.
During this birthing season, I want to encourage you to trust God through it all. The same God who kept you through pregnancy will keep you through the delivery process. Isaiah 66:9 says “Do I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God.” I want you to know that God did not bring you this far to abandon you. God did not bring you into a birthing season for you not to birth anything. You are well prepared to birth everything that God has placed on the inside of you and trust that God did not bring you this far to simply let you die in the delivery room. There is joy on the other side of your push so this year so keep pushing! This is the season to birth righteousness, birth excellence, birth that new ministry, birth the new career, birth the virtue that God has placed in you, birth the family, birth intimacy, birth greatness and birth everything else that God has for your life. Simply push and watch God pull!