I was that girl who loved baby dolls. When I say "loved" I mean "LOVED". I had
everything! The stroller, the diaper bag with a change of clothes, food, toys, you name it. I even had birthday parties for my baby dolls that my family endured for me.
It was safe to say, I couldn't wait to become a mother someday!
The thing is when you are little all you know and see about having a baby are the beautiful moments. You can not quite understand the process it took for the child to be in a mother's arms.
And even when you become old enough to learn about the birthing process, it is still impossible to fully understand the depth of it until you, yourself have endured it.
For example, we have read of the promises made to Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and Jacob. And although they excite and encourage us, we are unable to truly see the magnitude of their fulfillment.
But God created a true depiction of his fulfillment in a mother and child. You see, we often focus on the fulfillment, the moment the child is born, and not so much on the time before, the uncomfortable problems in those pleasant places.
The moment two people discover they are pregnant there are tears of joy and I assume nervousness too. A child is a huge commitment and sacrifice. Whether conceiving happened quickly or what may have felt like forever, you are full of thankfulness because you have now just received good news.
Your promise.
As people, we like to imagine our promises being fulfilled swiftly and painlessly. I hate to be the one to break the news to you but that is far from the truth.
When a woman becomes pregnant her entire body begins to change.
A woman's body changes in more ways than just a large stomach. Everything from respiratory to increased acne can change. Swelling of the feet, increased hair growth, pressured bladder, mood swings, etc.
EVERYTHING must change in order to make room for the child to grow and then be birthed.
Although these changes can leave a woman feeling miserable and insecure at times, she is also filled with anticipation and wonder.
9 months of change go by. Some changes are exciting like when you hear the heartbeat, discover the gender, or feel the first kick. But there are also moments of discomfort. Morning sickness, Braxton Kicks, back pain.
The closer you get to that estimated due date the more you are ready to get that child out because it simply has become too big to stay where it is.
I have learned through my own relationship with God that it is the same when he speaks promises to us.
At first, we are full of excitement and encouragement. An answer to our prayers has finally come!
And often times God does not share the date of fulfillment with us because ultimately it is up to us.
It is up to our reaction, perseverance, obedience, and trust in him.
When we surrender to God, the growth of that promise begins to take place. God begins to expand our spirit.
There are trials, seasons of loneliness, heartache, and tears. But during those uncomfortable problems, God is forming that promise in your spiritual womb.
Those uncomfortable problems can sometimes feel paralyzing to our spirit. Our faith is tested and we don't understand the process because we cannot see the full picture. We just feel the stretching and growing pains.
Take every single man or woman in the Bible used by God. No promise was fulfilled without some stretching.
Joseph was sold by his own brothers, lied against, and became a slave.
Noah was ridiculed by many for hearing instructions from God.
Esther had to risk revealing her true identity in order to save her people.
David fought a giant even when soldiers and a King laughed at his bravery.
There are so many more and even though each story of promise is different, they all have something in common.
They had to trust God through fear and discomfort. If they had chosen to quit and give up when things were hard, the promise of their life would not be known today, which has affected many.
There then comes a point where your promise has developed in the womb and God says "Okay, it is good, time for this promise to be born."
You are finally in the delivery room! But now there are contractions and waiting for the right moment to start pushing.
Before you know it, you hear the cry of your baby and you finally feel a sense of relief.
You think to yourself, "All of this, was worth it!"
Just because the promise has been delivered does not mean it has reached its full fulfillment.
Much like a baby that you have to nurture, the same is with your promise. There is a season where your promise has to be handled delicately because it is fragile and new. But as it grows it begins to crawl and walk, then it will learn to run!
The truth is, like life, which is always changing. Full of ebbs and flows so is your promise. There are different seasons; busyness, rest, pruning, and growth. But God uses each season with purpose in his kingdom.
And it is a beautiful thing!
These promises can be many things. A ministry, a relationship, dreams.
I can personally attest to all three of these things in my life. Not because it has all been fully fulfilled but because my promises were once in my spiritual womb.
I remember the pain, the questioning, and the loneliness I faced during that season. I remember even in my season of conceiving, I could not fully understand what was happening in the spirit because my flesh felt so torn at times. There were times when even among my family I felt alone.
But now, those promises are growing and God is revealing to me season by season the purpose of all my uncomfortable moments.
And even in the midst of those pains, I knew I had to trust God even if it was the size of a mustard seed.
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
-Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
God uses my past discomfort to encourage others through theirs and he uses my pleasant places to demonstrate his goodness and faithfulness.
He led me through my uncomfortable problems and now my vision is different. I see the purpose and power in my struggle. My struggle truly made me stronger, it brought me closer to God.
And it brought forth my promise.
I encourage you to remember that your uncomfortable problems in pleasant places serve a purpose. Let God stretch you. It's not for harm but for blessings. Give your promise a chance to be birthed so it can be fulfilled right before your own eyes.
Remember to BU,
Samantha Nicole
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