Life in the Holy Spirit An Empowerment Bible Study using the readings from Catholic Daily Mass for the Season of Easter (any year) © 2003 by Terry A. Modica

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
The labor pains of waiting

Oh how hard it is to stay focused on God when our trials take a long time to overcome! Our eyes wander, God fades from view, the problems grab our attention like signs in neon colors. What should we do with the waiting to help us stand firm in our faith?

In John 16:20-23, Jesus speaks of a woman in labor. The pain is grievous, but after the baby is born, the pain is remembered as a sweet suffering well worth enduring. Taking this analogy further, we can compare the whole pregnancy to the long journey of enduring a problem. For the first three months or so, nausea makes the waiting very unpleasant. If the mother has any physical problems, the whole nine months can be a horrible ordeal.

Just like a pregnancy, every problem does have an ending. So what should we do in the meantime? How can we emotionally survive the wait and spiritually use it to grow closer to God?

After the conception of new life, the womb becomes a sacred space. The woman's body might be suffering from nausea or back aches or labor pains, but inside that sacred space, a treasure is being protected and nourished and formed.

In your prayer life, create a sacred space using your imagination anointed by the Holy Spirit. It could be a hidden room. It might be a field of flowers. Mine is a boat that I "built" with Jesus (I named it "The Queen Mary"). Give Jesus a place to sit. Maybe you want to bring Him some refreshments?

Imagine every detail so that it begins to feel very real. Then bring to Jesus whatever problem you're dealing with, whatever you're suffering, whatever you're wishing would hurry up and come to an end. Ask Him to take good care of it and transform it into blessings. Listen to His response. Thank Him, hug Him, and don't leave before you feel loved.

Outside this place of prayer, get busy with the rest of your life. God has much adventure and many blessings to give you while you're waiting for the answer to your prayers. Meanwhile, because you left your concerns with Jesus in your sacred space, they are being protected and nourished, like a developing fetus. When you feel a kick from that child or nausea, thank Jesus for taking care of the situation in ways you cannot see, and remind yourself that the day WILL come when the child is ready to be born.

It's all part of a process and God is overseeing every detail. Any time you suppose that a problem will never cease, go back to your sacred space and meet with Jesus.

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See also Holy Living: A Bible Study covering the Sermon on the Mount.

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