Weeping may endure in the evening,
but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5 – LITV

In this particular case, joy arrived at precisely 3:52 a.m.

The new little life you see in the inset photograph breathed his first breath on Sunday, the 9th of November before even the sun was up. The night of hard labor brought forth its reward. And there was joy. Such joy!

My husband and I were there to welcome our new grandson – a mere three hours before Grandpa had to leave for the airport to catch his return flight home. And there was joy. Such joy!

A new family has begun. Jack the black lab eventually left his paw print on the ‘approved’ box. And there is joy. Such joy!

And so another woman – not just any woman, but our daughter – continues her journey into a new phase of life and womanhood. As she does, my journey becomes richer. And not just mine, but countless others’ as well.

The Gleam

I think the birthing process is a great metaphor when it comes to carrying the life of Christ within and bearing it about, without. Yet God in His tender foreknowledge knew there would be ishshahs who would not know the bearing of natural children. He therefore made provision for joy. Such joy!

He gave gifts to humanity; everyone, everywhere. (Ephesians 4:8)

• The ability to dream and envision something new or helpful; something greater than what has been.
• A capacity to embrace and love the unlovable.
• The intelligence to consider a problem and bring forth a suitable solution.
• A predisposition toward lifelong learning, adding to a fulfilling life.
• The complementary facilities of a good mind and a teachable spirit.
• Skills and talents as evidenced by certain, undeniable aptitudes, the list of which is endless.

Though not an exhaustive list, what gift(s) God has given you puts a life-bearing gleam in your eye?

The Carry

As anyone knows who has been or seen a pregnant woman (pretty much all of us!), the fresh seed takes time to become fashioned, woven together and to grow. All that takes place before the new life has even yet seen the light of day!

In my own journey, I have come to realize that God does His best and deepest work under cover of dark. Just as an expectant mother leans into trusting the hidden development of her child in the womb, we have a Weaver of Life working in and on behalf of us during His ministry of the expectant, yet unseen.

When Holy Spirit is at work, the weightier things will become. All may seem perennially dark and there will be many evenings of enduring filled with tears, but mourning only lasts till morning. Then joy comes.

Weeping is here personified; she is only a lodger, who tarries for the brief Eastern night,
and then, veiled, glides out of the house at daybreak.
With the first ray of light Joy comes to abide, and we hear His hearty salutation in the vestibule.
– F.B. Meyer –

The Birth

No two births are alike. Mothers relating birthing stories (like men swapping hunting and fishing tales…) are keenly aware of the details. They’re privy to each nuance. They can share the story like no one else.

The birthing of the life of Christ being fashioned and growing within is not so very different. There are some things that cannot be adequately voiced but are evidenced in the final outcome. The chapters that are relatable will come forth flavored with the uniqueness of the individual.

But how many times have we envied another their flavor or wished for a different savor altogether? Or figured if we’ve seen one similar ‘birth’, the world has seen ’em all? I well remember when the Lord brought me face to face with the untruth of that limiting belief.

I was a jaded, pitiful dish of mush. And irritated that others seemed to be the purveyor of the same flavors of everything that I longed to produce. Holy Spirit’s convicting of my heart made me to know that it is possible to let one’s gifts, meant to be birthed into life-giving joy, slip on by with such an attitude and outlook. Allowing Him to straighten out my perceptions went a long way toward readying my soil to receive His fresh seed.

In a non-metaphorical way, in the final few weeks leading up to her delivery, my daughter was receiving the benefit of twice-weekly chiropractic adjustments of her back and hips. She wanted so much to deliver naturally that she was determined to remain straightened out. As an RN working on the mother-baby unit of a local hospital, she had become a firm believer that childbirth is a creative, natural gift of life – not the medical ‘situation’ our Western world has made it out to be. Though there were a few tense hours toward the end, she had prepared well and God honored her desire for the welcoming, calm birthing of her newborn son.

Whether an expectant mother or an expectant ishshah, we do well to prepare well. There is a direct correlation between our preparedness and trust in the nighttime and the joy that comes in the morning. For just about the time it seems that eternal pregnancy has become our lot in life, the commanding word of life comes…

“We’re having a baby! Now PUSH!!”

“Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.” John 16:21-22 NASB

From anguish to joy, from joy to thanksgiving!

Grandma Nanc ♥

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