I'm Pregnant

Yes, it is true. No, you are not seeing or witnessing medical history being made. Yet it's true.

Reading from Romans 8:18-25 today and pondering Paul's thought about creation groaning as in the pains of labor.

Pregnancy means expectation. Possibility. New life. Beauty. Simplicity. Challenge.

And not only is creation groaning in labor pains, the child is apparently the redemption of our bodies.

Giving birth to resurrection. What a wild concept! You get the sense that Paul is pushing the community reading Romans to embody that reality.

You must be people who are groaning against the present struggles, challenges and sufferings. But you also must be people who are pregnant with resurrection.

Being pregnant with resurrection opens up limitless possibilities in every day life.

Being pregnant with resurrection de-fuses fear and anxiety as it all pales in comparison to life unending.

Being pregnant with resurrection fills our conversation with goodness, holy confrontation, and truth because we aren't afraid of the nuances and messiness of personal relationships any more. We know there is a baby on the way who will make all things new.

Being pregnant with resurrection brings us into an abiding, dwelling, remaining relationship with Jesus where we can lay down our performance-oriented drivenness (thanks Ruth Barton!) and accept what it truly means to be WITH Jesus and WITH those who are dearest to Him.

Being pregnant with resurrection in ministry takes us out of the ambition cycle and places us in the anticipation cycle, ruthlessly eliminating the need to create our own press and instead pointing through the underbrush of our sufferings toward the redemptive child that's about to be born and saying, "Wait! Wait! Let's all come together and watch this!"

Being pregnant with resurrection...what does it mean to you?