Labor pains

It's 3:45 am on Thursday morning and I can't sleep here at the hospital. Denise is asleep on the floor next to me in the chair and my mom and cousin are trying to sleep. I had starbucks at 8pm and I'm still feelin it, I think being in a brighter-than-day hospital waiting room is contributing though.

Amy is at 4 cm, which I didn't know before but one has to reach 10cm of contraction before actual delivery begins. I can't imagine, I know guys we've always tried to hold on to the equivalent pain level of getting hit below the belt but really, think about that rush of pain for 8-16 hours in waves every 3 minutes guaranteed. Now I'd most likely tap out after the first 2 waves. Just knowing that another one was coming would make me cry like a sissyman.

Anyways, watching Amy a little here, a little there has made me think of the part of scripture where Paul says, "my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!" (Gal 4:19) And I wondered how short our life is, compared to eternity, like 9 months in the womb to an entire lifetime. This life, and all its pains are only for a short while, we need to do now what we won't be able to do then, and do those two things (witnessing and trusting) by looking forward with hope to the next existence promised to us.

I told Denise tonight that sometimes I picture the heavenly scenes and think of the huge gatherings / concerts we'll participate in and how Jesus will occassionally appear as the lead guitarist or blow us away with an amazing drum solo. I enjoyed last Sunday's sermon Driscoll gave about how we will hear Jesus sing at the great wedding feast of the Lamb. Looking ahead to these days has helped me see the joy I have in Christ during those monotonous days, the ones where you can sometimes feel like a waste of space as far as kingdom building/disciple-making/prayer-full days go.

Come on Amy...you can do it!