Pains of childbirth

John 16 : 20 - 23

You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. ..when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

Women who have given birth have experienced the intense pain involved. And I think it is quite true that for most of us, the pain and anguish are forgotten when our baby is born. The joy of the new life so overwhelms us that memories of the pain dim in insignificance.

Jesus is speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper. Dark days are coming for them....as Jesus goes through his passion, there will be weeping and wailing on their part, even a kind of despair. The pain of shattered hopes will be upon them. When Jesus dies on the cross, they would scatter in fear and terror. However, something brings them together in the upper room. And it is there that their pain is turned to unspeakable joy as Jesus returns to them, triumphant over death. This experience is a new birth in their lives - a birth of hope and joy that empowers them to be witnesses of the good news.

There will be moments of grief as we journey through life. Suffering comes because this is a fallen world and Paul reminds us "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth" (Rom. 8: 22) . At other times suffering comes as we encounter persecution for our faith. In all these situations, the pain is made worse if we do not understand God's perspective. The image of childbirth is appropriate. Women are willing to go through the pain of childbirth because they know that new life will emerge. Being human we will groan when we suffer, and often the groaning lasts longer than the nine months of human gestation. Yet if we trust that something good is being born out of the pain, every tear will seem worthwhile. In this life, we may never fully understand God's perspective on our suffering....except that now and then we are given glimpses of new life, 'resurrection life' even and especially in the depths of the pain. It is true that in many lives, diving into the depths of suffering brings to birth a depth of spirit that is seldom found in those who live their lives in the shallow waters.