My wife and I are blessed with three beautiful children. My youngest is about to be 21 years old.
I had the incredible joy of experiencing the birth of each of my kids, and welcoming them into their family. I was with my wife at every moment during the labor.
We often joke about the moments of labor, and how I tried to comfort my wife during the contractions. It was certainly a painful experience for my precious wife, but also a beautiful time in our lives. Most parents can relate to the difficulties of the birth process and the incredible joy that followed.
There is a growing intensity in everything right now. To me, it is a reminder of the labor pains that we went through as our beautiful children were preparing to join our family. They started with minor discomforts, and intensified quickly – as the time of their arrival drew near.
Our Messiah shares that during the last days we will experience difficulties, and then related them to the pangs of labor. Obviously, I believe that means we will see increasing intensity as we draw nearer to His return.
“For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” Mark 13:8 NAS
I often think about the events that led up to the birth of my children. What if I had not taken my wife to the hospital as she was entering into labor. What if she and I had delayed in our preparations for our children? It seems to reason that things would have been extremely difficult.
Preparation is vital – especially now in the beginning of the birth pangs. The new birth is coming soon, and we have no more time to delay.