Childbirth is not a curse, ladies.
In Genesis 3, God cursed two things - the serpent & the ground. He punished Adam & Eve with extra labor, but he didn't CURSE them. Big difference.
Eve was able to bear children pre-fall (Genesis 1:28) & Adam worked before the fall. After the fall, these things were just made more difficult for both. The root of each punishment dealt in ch. 3 is actually the same root word for "labor".
Allowing God's presence during childbirth glorifies Him. The worldly perspective tells us to fear & dread, but Hebrews 12:11 tells us "for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it". I view the pain of bringing my babies into this world as a process that refines. The below excerpt is from @phyliciamasonheimer. I listened to one of her recent podcast episodes on labor and delivery & highly recommend it if you're in the same season! (Her podcast is called Verity.)
"Birth is a picture of the gospel. There’s a reason the gospels use the term “born again”. In Christ we are delivered into a new life!
Having babies has changed my view of the term “Deliverer”. I used to think it meant being taken out of a situation. Now I see it as being taken *through*. Just as a baby is delivered through the hard work of its mama into the waiting & wise hands of a midwife, so are we delivered through our trials and pain into the waiting and wise hands of our God.
The trial God is bringing you through may feel like a “painful labor”, but I promise you: He is waiting on the other side. He is the Deliverer, watching, ready, for what is born through adversity. As I preach to myself: All of Him, for all of us."
“You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:7
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