Five Minute Story

As promised, here is the five minute story I wrote for Herman Haan's classes this past week. I hope you enjoy!

Three Spiritual Lessons I Learned While Expecting Dezmond

Pregnancy is a tough thing to go through and for me it brought me closer to God. It was hard mentally, physically and spiritually and I had to rely wholy on God to get me through. In everything I journeyed through there were three main lessons that I learned.

Number 1: Total Surrender to God

Around the time that I was due, I had heard of a lot of babies that had died either during delivery, after they were born or they were stillborn. It made me realize that this baby wasn't my own, it was a gift for as long as God desired. You can do all the testing in the world (of which we chose to do none) but ultimately, this baby is God's creation and His child. Also, I did nothing. I ate, I drank, I exercised. I was completely surrendered to the process of growing a human being inside my body.

Number 2: My Body is Not My Own

I made a choice during pregnancy to give up certain things that I ate or did for the health and safety of our baby. I did all these things with JOY because I knew that it was the right thing to do and I knew that the end results were worth it. I made this correlation: Why would anyone go and live in a mud hut in Africa or move to India for the sake of Christ? Because we make a choice. A choice to give up comforts, electricity and safety among other things for the benefit of Christ and it is a JOY to do these things because of the hope we have in Christ. We know the blessings that doing these things will bring to our lives - giving up my body for the sake of my child, or giving up our bodies for the sake of Christ.

Number 3: Christ on the Cross

God gave up his ONE and ONLY son. I have only one son and the ferocity with which I would protect him is frightening. Being a parent lets you see deep into the Father-heart of God, to imagine His pain as he gave up His son BUT He did so, so that many more of His children could have life and freedom in Him.  

From this I take with me every day these three lessons. I remain surrendered to God - whether it's for one minute, nine months or 89 years, the safest place to be is in the middle of God's will. I am still learning that my body is not my own by every day choosing to say yes to God and choosing to give up things that entangle and ensnare me. Looking at Dezmond every day reminds me that Christ not only died for me but for him as well, and that he has a brilliantly bright future relationship with his Father just waiting for him!