the ultimate birth story
The Bible is laden with birth stories.
Eve's. Sarah's. Rebecca's. Rachel's. Elizabeth's. Hannah's. Mary's. And so many others. But laden throughout all scripture is the undercurrent of a greater birth story in the lives of you and me: the story of us being born into the family of God.
We hear of increased pain in childbearing (Eve). Giving birth as an elderly woman (Elizabeth, giving birth to John the Baptist). Barrenness (Rebecca, for 20 years!), twin birth (also Rebecca, giving birth to Jacob and Esau), post-menopausal birth (Sarah), dying in childbirth (Rachel, when she had Benjamin), and even giving birth as a virgin (Mary, giving birth to Jesus).
It is no wonder we hear about birth so much in the Scripture; it is is a significant event. It's incredibly hard, but it's also something we can be proud of, because the end result is, or is supposed to be, beautiful new life.
But unfortunately, birth is broken. It doesn't always end in new life, and in fact, it ALWAYS (with the exception of Jesus' birth) results in a human being who is born under the curse of sin. In Genesis 3:16 we see this - childbirth, cursed as a result of sin.
That which is intended to multiply good life on earth is filled with pain and brokenness. That which is intended to multiply the number of image-bearers of God is now laden with anguish.
And yet, there's beauty amidst the pain. Though through pain, we get a glimpse of what was intended for life: Renewal. Freshness. Total dependence on our caretaker, God. Beauty. Resemblance...
And there's much more. But that's all for today's post.
Likely more to come on this topic... stay tuned! But my writings are in their infancies (pun intended), and I've got a lot more work to do before "birthing" the other things I've written on this topic into the written world.
