Birth Has a Way of Bringing Heart Issues to the Surface

We are spirit, soul, and body. All are intertwined and affect each other. For example, you may see negative effects of a malnourished spirit or unstable soul in the physical body. On the flip side, you may see a well nourished and cared for body have a positive effect on the soul. Ultimately, this inseparable connection between the three means that the way birth unfolds, and even the way we experience the pain of labor, is not being determined only by physical things.

"The truth is, our view of life, the state of our spirit and soul, what we have been taught, the impressions made on us, and our personal past experiences, all have shaped our thinking and affect our experience of pain or how we conceptualize the pain associated with birth. All factors as a whole, spirit, soul, and body must be considered in this question of what determines how a woman manages labor." (Birth in the Eden Environment, Chapter 3)

I can't explain all the inner workings of why labor can bring things to the surface the way it does, but I'm sure part of it is because you have to dig deeper than you ever have, and also because it's one of the most vulnerable moments in your life. Whatever the case, if there are unhealthy issues in the heart that have not been addressed or resolved, sometimes we may see this manifest as a "block", so to speak, in the labor process. Moms may experience more feelings of helplessness, fear, or "I can't do it", like they're hitting a wall. This is a little different than the very common "I can't do this anymore" moments that often come especially in transition. It's like there's something that needs to be released or let go of in order for the body to feel safe enough to do what it was designed to do. Every single part of us is literally wired for love, which is why if anything is outside of love, it will affect something, somewhere, somehow. The body knows, even when the conscious mind doesn't always, or has pushed it away.

I would suggest asking yourself some very honest questions before labor (and really, anytime in life):

• Is there anyone I need to forgive?

• Is there anything trying to steal my peace or rob me of the joy of this gift of new life?

• Is there unresolved trauma in my life that I have never brought to the Light (Jesus)?

• Is there anything in my life I try to sweep under the rug, or shove down and suppress?

• Has something happened to me (like trauma) in my life that shouldn't have (it was wrong, unjust, not the will of God)? That means healing is necessary, which cannot happen if it's not even acknowledged.

If the answer to any of these is yes, I encourage you to bring these things out in the open before the Lord. Cast every care on Him, knowing how incredibly much He cares for you. Get help from a trusted mentor or friend if you need it. Do whatever you need to do to lay down these burdens and not pick them back up. Even your body will thank you, evidenced by the way it responds in labor when women surrender to the Lord the things that try to hold them back, be it unforgiveness, fear, or even their relationship with their own mother.

I also want to make sure you don't buy the lie that this means if you are not in a place of perfection, having nothing you are working through or growing in, then you'll pay for it in labor. No, no, no. We don't have to be perfect; just honest. Just forgiving. Allowing ourselves to be loved fully by Love Himself, and then letting love for others and ourselves flow out of that. Trusting Him.

When you are healed and free, you are fully alive to enjoy this wonderous, glorious thing called birth. I can't wait for you to do just that. 🤍