Cursed Process, Blessed End

More from Nancy Wilson on childbirth, this time from Praise Her in the Gates:

“Childbirth is not always a wonderful experience…Scripture teaches us that it is a fallen and cursed process with a blessed end. Some births are more difficult than others. Christian women must remember that a safe delivery, safe for both mother and child is the objective under the blessing of God. A good ‘experience’ is not the ultimate goal, although it is certainly to be desired and prayed for; all that we can do to prepare ought to be done.”

“Christian women must realize that though childbearing has a blessed result, it is still a fallen and cursed process. It is not man who has made it a cursed process but God Himself. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that we can make it easy or painless. Of course pregnancy is not a disease, but it is difficult. Yes, it is a natural or normal process, but it is still a cursed process, fraught with difficulty and even danger. To pretend that childbirth can be simple or to assume it will be a picnic is to believe an old wives’ tale. Of course we should prepare for childbirth and do all we can to make it as successful and comfortable as possible, but we cannot deny that God has ordained pain in childbirth as a result of the fall. This runs counter to much non-Christian thinking. My point here is that all our preparations should be done before the Lord, acknowledging His sovereign hand over all these things and submitting to Him in childbirth as well as every other aspect of our lives. He gives us grace in our time of need, and delivering a child is a time of great need. Our preparations should be thorough; we should prepare both mentally and physically. We ought not think, ‘Since God is in control, there is nothing I can do.’ That is nonsense. God ordains both the end and the means. We should learn all we can to make the birthing process a triumph, knowing that we work out what God works in.”