I've been thinking lately about my pregnancy and how it just has not been like I envisioned it to be. I've also found myself thinking about how pregnancy is like God, in some respects...perhaps some of what's below is a stretch, but I think some of it does make sense. Enjoy!
1. Pregnancy and God Are No Respecter of Persons
Before I got pregnant I was in really good shape. For more than ten years I taught aerobics classes and ran on a regular basis, completing 3 full marathons and 9 half marathons. I was pretty healthy, too, and ate fairly well. I always figured that because of my health and being in shape I'd have an easy pregnancy with no morning sickness, no side effects like heartburn (well, I guess I didn't really know about the heartburn before being pregnant), no swelling, no problems sleeping...I bascially figured I'd have the "ideal" pregnancy simply because I was in good shape.
Well, that has not been the case at all! I'm still teaching my one toning class a week at the Y, but that's about all the exercise I get now and it's becoming quite challenging to teach. I do get exercise when walking up and down our stairs at home, but that's almost becoming a chore now because of how out of breath I get after just one flight of stairs. I had morning sickness, that sometimes lasted all day, well into my second trimester and it's come back off and on in my third trimester. I'd say that there's probably only about 4-6 weeks out of these past 37 that I can say I have felt really good.
My summation from this: pregnancy does not care who you are or what all you've done to prepare your body for this 10-month journey; the symptoms and side effects can hit you no matter what. Compare this to God. Acts 10:34-35, King James Version, says "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Now I don't usually read the King James Version, so to bring it into modern day language, look at the same scripture in the New International Version, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."
God doesn't show favoritism. Bad things can still happen to those who are in church every Sunday or to those who tithe each month and do everything the "right" way according to the Bible. In the same way, pregnancy side effects don't care who you are, they can hit anyone, no matter what.
2. Pregnancy and God Never Sleep
Psalm 121:3-4, NIV, tells us that "He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." God never sleeps. He's always watching over us and always protecting us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Not sleeping is definitely a part of pregnancy, especially in the last weeks. A full night's sleep has been very hard to come by lately. I wake up most every night at least once to go to the bathroom, and then usually 2-3 more times after that just because I can't sleep. My pregnancy is like God - it doesn't sleep...or at least has a hard time sleeping. :)
3. Pregnancy and God Bring Great Joy
God brings joy to people's lives. There are countless scriptures stating this and I know it's true from my own personal experiences and those of family and friends.
Pregnancy, amidst all its unwanted side effects, brings great joy, too. It is really fun, neat, exciting, and mind boggling to think that I am growing a little person inside my belly. And it's even neater to feel her move around and kick me from time to time and feel her little hiccups and to feel and kind of see her little butt, her little elbows, her little knees moving around my belly. What joy that does bring knowing I'm creating a life inside of me! That joy outweighs the negative side of pregnancy, just like God's joy outweighs the negative side of life.
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