Childbirth and Moving

As I’ve talked to a couple of my pregnant friends over the last couple of days, I’ve contemplated about how similar childbirth is to moving. While it’s been 8 years since I’ve had the opportunity to experience the birth of one of our children, some things just do not leave your mind too easily.
Labor usually begins with stronger, regular contractions. The pain level is moderate, but there are breaks in between. For us, this began when Tim left back in June to begin his new job. Being without a husband, daddy, or in his case, the family can bring emotional pain. Thankfully there were times of rest as he was able to come home quite often and we were able to go and visit him.
Just recently we have entered the time of transition. In labor, this is a most intense time where focus on the task at hand is crucial and the pain can be extreme. Sometimes a woman can come to a point where she thinks she just can’t take it any more. In terms of our transition, moving my mom to Ohio after Christmas was the beginning of transition. After living with us for over 8 years, I confess to it being difficult handing her care over to my cousin. Not much later we begin having to tell people that we won’t see them again for a while. We think of leaving a house we love, friends we so deeply care about. The pain is at a 10. At some point in this transition, the water has broken. Tears are flowing freely. We’ve had our days of wanting to bail out.
Finally after hard work, a beautiful baby emerges and a new life held in the arms of his mother is the reward of the pain. I’m not sure how the end will turn out in our allegory. I know we still have several more difficult days or possibly weeks or months before it’s all said and done. I would hope to say that the obedience of this move will bring new life in Christ for someone living in Virginia. While we don’t know what our future holds, we do know Who holds the future.