I’ve had this playlist on repeat for the last month – my final month of pregnancy! But even if you’re nowhere near being pregnant, these songs are a great backdrop to early morning devotions or a commute to work. You could even use this playlist for times of day when you’re most stressed or anxious, since the playlist is designed to point hearts to God in a time of extreme stress (labor!).
We fear what we don’t understand. But sometimes, even when we know what’s going to happen, we fear that too. Childbirth is the perfect storm of both these fears: Fear brought on by ignorance, and fear brought on by knowledge. As believers in Christ, we have His presence and power in the birthing room. How do we live out this reality and face birth fearlessly? Is that even possible?
It is possible to overcome fear of childbirth and enter pregnancy with courage. It is possible to overcome anxiety as a believer in Christ! This process is simple, but it’s not easy – and that’s what we’re discussing in today’s post.
My first and second babies will be almost exactly two years apart. They were both due on the same day (October 1st)! My first pregnancy was fantastic, but I didn’t know then what I know now. Let’s just say I’ve learned a few things in two years! The changes I’ve made in this pregnancy have made this one even better than the last, even though I’m now working from home with a toddler instead of working in an office full-time (and moving to a new state at 37 weeks!).
One of the questions I receive every Monday on my Q&A show is, “What are your favorite podcasts?” The list is embarrassingly long! So this week, I’m starting a new blog series that I think you’re going to love: biweekly podcast playlists! Every other week I’ll be sharing the must-listen episodes you don’t want to miss.
In last week’s posts on reframing our view of labor and things we should stop saying about pregnancy, a few readers misunderstood the meaning of “New Age” and its influence on modern pregnancy culture. New Age philosophy is not another term for modern medical practice. New Age practices are the face of spirituality in today’s world, and it benefits every believer to be aware of them – particularly in pregnancy and birth.
The Christian conversation surrounding labor and birth differs little from the world’s. We throw showers, give gifts, and sympathize over morning sickness; but when it comes to birth itself, the conversation remains dominated by New Age (and in some cases, secular feminist) influences. One look at the Instagram hashtags reveals that the creation, sustenance, and birth of life is a sphere dominated by secular ideology. Unless a pregnant woman is considering an abortion, modern Christianity has little to say about pregnancy or birth.
This week on my Q&A show, Ask Anything Monday (hosted on my Instagram), I was asked:
“Why are so many 20-30 somethings still single? Is there a reason people marry later or are Christians too picky?”
I answered with four theories why I think this trend is growing in western culture:
When I was in my teens, my bookshelf held titles like I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Beautiful Girlhood, Emotional Purity, and Ladies in Waiting. While I think these books contain some good concepts, I honestly wish I’d never read them. Their purpose was to motivate me to live my singleness for God; instead, they focused so much on waiting for a relationship, much of my early single season was spent wishing I wasn’t single! The emphasis on “waiting” made it seem like singleness was a holding pattern; some sort of in-between time until I arrived at the Destination: a relationship.