Birth and Worship

Birth and worship. What do these two words have in common? Well, for starters they are words that have great meaning in my life...areas in which I have greatly invested my heart. What is most significant for me is how these two words have converged over the past few years.

Before I became a certified labor doula, I served and continue to serve my church by helping lead others into the presence of God through singing and worship. This has truly been where my heart feels at home. Beautiful melodies and compelling words have always been my spiritual pathway.

Yet I have this other passion. Childbirth. Helping moms cope in labor feels intuitive to me. It's exhausting and unpredictable. Yet it's powerful, rewarding, and miraculous. I have realized something. Perhaps God instilled this love of birth to give me a deeper well from which to worship Him. Perhaps there is no greater worship than witnessing the miracle of a God-breathed life coming into the world.

Something deep stirs within when experiencing a mother surrender the work of labor into the hands of the Lord, allowing His strength to be made perfect in her weakness, asking for His mercy, and confessing words of dependence upon Him. Hearing the cries of a newborn testifies loudly to the faithfulness of God.

So, whether I am singing on a stage (or in the shower)...or whether I am helping a mom bring her baby into the world, I have this incredible opportunity to worship and to witness the worship of others. It's a significant life and I am feeling grateful.

"Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." ~Isaiah 25:1