Pain. It’s a very real part of everyone’s existence. How do we typically react to pain? We try to stop it immediately, right? Who wants to feel pain?

My son had been struggling all day, and being mean to his brother was the last straw. I told him he was going to have a punishment, and the usual crying began. I was prepared to hear excuses, but I wasn’t prepared for what he said: “Mom, I do such terrible things! How can I stop?”

My heart was touched. Instead of trying to fight the pain of his punishment or get out of it somehow, he allowed it to work on his heart. His humble spirit spread through our family, and soon we were all confessing and had a beautiful prayer session mingled with tears.

When I was taking a pre-birth class, I was told that I needed to “allow” the pain of the contractions. Fighting the pain by tensing my muscles would only make it worse. I decided that numbing the pain with medications was not the best choice for me either. The birth ended up being a profound experience for me as the Lord became my strength in my pain.

Launching to the mission field is a lot like having a baby. We have definitely experienced our share of “birth pangs.” Like my son, I am choosing to allow the pain to do its work on my heart. This period of waiting is hard, but I am thankful for the experiences that are helping to prepare us for the mission field. And, like any good birth story, I know a happy ending is just around the corner!

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