"When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." (John 16:21, ESV) "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children..." (Gen 3:16) I have often asked the question why the pain? Why did God make the process of birthing painful? Why would God introduce pain to the very process through which life is to be sustained on earth? There are many ways God could have punished the woman for her disobedience; why choose increasing her pain during childbirth? The word here is increase; which means even without the punishment it was originally meant to be painful; the punishment was "increasing" the pain. And I often ask myself, why would God increase the pain for a process that He already made painful!.
I gained a new perspective into womanhood when my wife gave birth to our first son. I experienced firsthand - or should I say secondhand - the pain involved in bring forth a new life, in birthing a new person, in becoming a vehicle through which God ensures the continuity of life.
The process of giving birth is known as parturition. From study it shows that all animals experience pain during child birth. But wild animals do not scream or show their pain during child birth like humans do because if they shout they will attract the attention of predators who will not only kill their new born babies, but them as well! Every thing about childbearing is designed to send the message that the process in painful. First, the woman goes into "contractions". That sounds painful! Contraction is the shortening of the uterine muscles occurring at intervals before and during childbirth. Then the person goes into "labour" - another painful word. Labour naturally entails work - hard work, painful work. The second dictionary meaning of the verb "labour" is to have difficulty in doing something despite working hard .
The question is why the pain? Why is birth designed to come through pain? I usually find the answer to this question in this scripture:
" Women, however, will be saved through childbearing..." (1 Tim 2:15, BSB)
Besides the various physical reasons why birthing is painful, this scripture gives us the actual spiritual reason why it is! Birthing is a process of bringing forth, of starting something new, of increasing, of growing, of expanding. Every natural process for growing is painful. I see the pain children undergo to grow teeth. I see the difficulty involved in learning to sit, or crawl or walk for the first time. I see the difficulty involved in acquiring a new skill. Growth is usually difficult. Nobody gives birth by accident. First there is a period of pregnancy during which your body is gradually prepared for the pain to come. Birthing is designed to be a means of salvation, solution, succor, comfort, increase, and that is why pain and difficulty is associated with it. With all due respect to men, men have little or no idea of the pain involved in pregnancy and childbearing; that is why Paul uses women in that example to show that no pain which God allowed to come our way is in vain. All pains that God allows to come our way is meant to save us from something. Godly pain is a vehicle for change, growth, increase, maturity!
As you may already know, the physical is usually a mirror of the spiritual. The way childbearing is painful in the physical so it is also in the spiritual. The process of birthing a new life, a new thing in the spiritual is also painful. Look what it took Jesus to birth our salvation! Look at the pain He had to go through. Next time, you have to go through a difficult situation or a painful experience, ask yourself what is this pain supposed to birth in my life?
Prayer
Lord, don't let me suffer unnecessary pain; but let every necessary pain that comes my way fulfill its purpose in me. May you give me the grace to endure every necessary pain and birth the purpose for which I had to endure the pain in Jesus name. Amen