Birth Pangs

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Revelation 12. 1 - 2

A month before my due date with my first child, I had 12 hours of false labor - birth pangs. It was not pleasant, especially when I discovered it was only a trial run! Half way through this season of Advent, I wonder about the birth pangs we might be feeling as we anticipate the coming of Christ, again for the first time. Labor is not easy; bringing something new into the world can be agonizing. Where in your life is something trying to be born? What is God calling you to bring into the world to nurture and love and rear up to fullness and wellness? As I wander through this Advent season, I wonder about those very questions. And I listen for signs and pangs that might indicate the arrival is pending, the birth pangs are painful, the darkness is present.

And then I remember this Season of Light...the Light in the Darkness which is as constant as the sun and the moon, both of which always come whether we see them or not. Out of the darkness, God brought Light in you and in me and for the whole world. The Salvation, the Kingdom and the power of God have come, are coming and will come. There may be pangs and tremors, but in the end all will be well and we will rejoice!

I leave you with this icon I have mentioned here before on which I have been reflecting this season. Close your eyes and envision, imagine, savor that tiny child within you which you are about to bring into the world. Maybe sing yourself a lullaby...