As I watched Ben play outside today, God gave me a powerful revelation about labor and birth and all that He created it to be for us.
We played outside for 2 hours and the whole time, Ben just wanted to “do some work” as he calls it. He LOVES to rake, sweep, and mow the lawn (with a toy lawn mower). Even though we were at a park, he wanted to do yard work the whole time instead of playing on the playground.
Seriously ladies, he’s in heaven when he’s working. He loves the rhythm of raking, the repetition of pushing the lawn mower in lines across the whole park, and the satisfaction of seeing the fruit of his labor in a cleanly swept sidewalk. He loves using his muscles and the hard work of it all.
I love watching him “work” because he’s enjoying himself so much. He smiles, hums, and gets lost in his own little world. And then he gets so excited when he finishes one of his projects like getting all the grass mowed.
And the thing is, he’s working HARD! By the time he finished at the end of the 2 hours today, he was sweaty and out of breath, but grinning from ear to ear at a job well done and the park “looking all nice now!”
As I watched him, Holy Spirit whispered to me,
“This is the way I intended work to be. Fun. Fulfilling. Enjoyable. Peaceful. Satisfying. When I gave Adam and Eve work to do in the garden, it was a love gift to them – a gift for them to enjoy. I meant for them to take pleasure in their work of ruling over the earth, working the ground, and bearing children and raising children.
Then sin entered the world, and along with it came shame, insecurity, broken communion with me, pressure, worry, fear, and self-reliance. And those things affected their “work” – both working the ground and bearing and raising children. Suddenly the work I meant for them to ENJOY felt scary, hard, stressful, painful at times, and full of pressure. Everything became so much harder and work felt like a burden instead of a gift to enjoy with Me.
But when Jesus died on the cross and took all the consequences of sin onto His body, He set you free from all of them. You no longer have to live imprisoned by the effects of sin. He came to restore my original intent on earth. To usher in my Kingdom again, on Earth as it is in Heaven. To set you free from fear, anxiety, pressure, stress, self-reliance, pain, sickness, poverty, insecurity, and shame.
Beloved, you can now experience work again in perfect partnership with Me, free from all of those things that steal the joy of it. This applies to all work! Providing for the family, working the ground, bearing children, and raising children.
You can experience work like Ben experiences “work.” He’s able to enjoy the menial tasks of yard work that others dread because he operates under no anxiety, no pressure to make money, no expectations of others, no time pressure, no self-doubt, no self-consciousness, etc. He’s just free to be present to the moment and enjoy the work.
This is what I long for you to experience during the work of childbirth. Because of Jesus, you can enjoy labor the way I intended for you to enjoy it… FREE FROM:
- The fear of something going wrong
- Worry about your health or baby’s health (Jesus took ALL your pain and sickness on His body and by HIS stripes, you are healed)
- Self-doubt (I designed you perfectly for this and it is the work I gave you to do, so you must be able to do it well – I don’t set you up for failure or impossible tasks)
- Self-consciousness about what other people are thinking about you
- The pressure of any time-constraints or the need to deliver on a certain day or in a certain amount of time
- Shame or self-consciousness about your private areas (remember, Eve felt NO shame about being naked before the fall, and you don’t have to either. You can be proud of every part of your body and the beauty of how I designed you as a woman)
- Comparison to other people’s birth stories (you have freedom to fully live in and enjoy YOURS)
- Pressure to meet the expectations of others
- Concern about money or provision (I am your perfect provider ALWAYS and will always meet all of your needs)
- Any pressure to feel like you have to look a certain way, handle labor in a certain way, sound a certain way, etc. You get to birth freely just as YOU!
- Any feelings of helplessness or that it’s too hard or all in vain. (Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery? Isaiah 66:10)
- Any sense of distance or disconnection from Me. Jesus destroyed all barriers that could distance us and I will be right there at your side, working inside you, empowering you, guiding you, and cheering you on. It can be one of the most intimate experiences you’ve ever had with Me.
- Sickness and pain (Jesus took All sickness and pain on his body, including those related to childbirth)
Beloved, you can birth FREE! Just like Ben at his work. Like him, you may be sweating, working really hard, and out of breath; and it may feel like the hardest work you’ve ever done. But you can still enjoy this hard work; this labor of love. Like Ben, you can enjoy the rhythm of it and smile and hum as you get in your “work zone.” Like Ben, you can get so excited at the progress you’re making and the joy of seeing all your hard work pay off at the end and the completion of a job well done.
Hard work isn’t something to dread. Not the hard work that I created for you. No, the hard work I give you is a love gift. A gift to strengthen you, empower you, fulfill you, and bring a smile to your face and a deep satisfaction to your soul. And this is true for labor and birth!”
Wow, isn’t that SO POWERFUL?
So here’s what I want you to do – read back through the list above and ask Holy Spirit to highlight to you any areas have the potential to steal the joy of the work of childbirth from you. Maybe it’s all of them, or maybe there are a few specific ones that He wants highlight to you.
Then ask Him for the key to walk in freedom in each of those areas. The freedom IS available to you – Jesus already paid for it. So the question now is, What’s blocking you from walking in that freedom? Is it a lie you are believing? A wound from the past that you need Jesus to heal? Not having a scripture to stand on in that area? Baggage you need to get rid of? Unforgiveness?
Two great questions to ask as you go through this are, “Jesus what do you want me to know? And what do I need to do?”
He will speak to you and lead you down the path of freedom. He’s such a good Dad and is excited to empower you to birth your baby in total FREEDOM in Him!
You are loved more than you know. Jesus paid for more than you have any idea. And God is for you more than you can possibly fathom.
To your beautiful, FREE birth,
Kierra
p.s. If you’re feeling stuck in one of these areas and want some help to get to freedom, I now offer 40 minute phone/skype calls to do one-on-one birth coaching and would be happy to help you process and find freedom in one of these areas. You can purchase a birth coaching call with me here :).
And if you want more info on how to enjoy your birth with God, check out my Online Kingdom Childbirth Class!