Lessons learned from childbirth

Lessons learned from the first week of having my son

1. Not everyone is born the same way. Some come naturally. Some have to be urged and encouraged, and then some have to be extracted. In salvation, no two births will look the same. Some will be saved at a revival; some will be saved in the shower. Some will carry a great sense of guilt of their sin; some will fall madly in love with Jesus. Some will say a prayer; some will “ask Jesus into their hearts.” Others will just decide in their hearts. None of these are wrong, or more preferred over the other. However, we must not boil away the necessities of salvation. Even though our stories differ, there will always be common denominators in all true conversions. Sin recognized; sin confessed and repented of; faith, belief, love for Jesus and a bowing of the knee to him.

2. Babies will chew or suck on anything. That does not mean they are being nourished. Proper supervision and direction must be given to babies so that they will be nourished properly. A baby may be satisfied for a moment with a pacifier, but in the long run it will leave the baby frustrated and empty. Sanctification does not happen automatically. It must be sought after; it must be fed in order to grow. There are good places to aid you in the growth of your sanctification, as well as resources that will leave you frustrated and empty.

3. Evangelism should be a lot like natural child birth, and not so much a c-section. If you have read Pilgrim’s Progress, then you are familiar with the character The Evangelist. He shows up in the story when Christian gets off track. Evangelist didn’t force Pilgrim to a decision. He simply guided Christian.

4. Doctors are smarter than the average couple. There should be people in your life who can guide you to wise decisions. A discipler should not be dictators.

5. My love for my son comes nowhere close to God’s love for me.