In This Issue

About Babies
     From Despair to Hope ~ Final Entry
Pregnancy and Birth
     Epidurals and Breastfeeding
Maternity Care Quality and Value
     Overuse of Interventions
Charis Cuisine
     Almond Vegetable Dip
Letters To The Editor
     Comments From Our Readers
Our Charis Family
     Our Friends - Our Family
Charis Around The World
     Tidbits From Ebony

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The next workshop will be the Charis "Teaching Birth" Workshop on February 21, 2009, in North Port, FL. More details and the registration form will be available on the website and in our e-newsletter once a location is secured.

 

Our Director's Heart

How often do we try to “help God out”? You know—when things aren’t going the way we want them to or the way we think they should, we assume that God needs us to step in and save the day. With our limited human understanding, we’re so quick to try to figure out the solution on our own. Or, with our insufficient human strength, we take matters into our own hands.

Benjamin Franklin was certainly a wise person, but we have taken many of his “proverbs” and treated them as if they are the words of God himself. One example is, “God helps those who help themselves.” That, friends, is nowhere in Scripture. In fact, the Bible reveals something very different. In Psalm 46, we are instructed, “Be still and know that I am God.” Proverbs 3:5 lets us know that we should not lean on our own understanding. Even God’s names reveal to us much to the contrary of what Dr. Franklin said.

Remembering that we cannot separate God’s nature and character from His Name, we can know that God, as El Shaddai (meaning “all sufficient God”, “the breasty one”, or “the one who nourishes and supplies as a mother does”), meets ALL of our needs the way a nursing mother is completely and solely able to meet all her infant’s needs. That baby doesn’t have to do a thing to receive help! You don’t have a single need that He cannot supply; He is fully equipped for the job. Supplements are not necessary!

Then, there is the name Jehovah Jireh, which means “The LORD Will Provide” or “The One who sees to it beforehand to make provision”. God saw before hand Abraham’s need for a sacrifice, which He provided in the ram caught in the bush (see Genesis 22). That was also a foreshadowing of the fact that God saw the need of man for salvation and provided Himself, as Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice necessary for our redemption. The name El Shaddai reveals to us that God “can” and the name Jehovah Jireh reveals to us that God “will”. We can trust Him to be true to His Name and sufficiently meet our needs!

I’m not saying that He will not call us to work WITH Him on this earth; but as we walk out God’s purpose for our lives, we really need to have an accurate picture of God, His heart, and His abilities so that we don’t run ahead of Him in the work.

So, how does this apply to childbirth???

As birth professionals or as expectant parents there is so much that we do not know or understand about what is taking place inside the womb. Even with all the education and technology available, we are still limited by the fact that we do not possess the omniscience of God. All-knowing God knows the end from the beginning. Our Creator sees inside the womb with complete knowledge and understanding, while we are limited to our best educated guesses about what is going on and what is needed. Have you ever noticed that as soon as something “unexpected” comes up in pregnancy or birth, people—before they even pray for guidance—are quick to give advice about what should be done to change the situation to what would be more “expected” or “normal” (or “convenient”). What if there is a reason we don’t know or understand for that pregnant mother to carry her baby past 41 weeks? Did God fall asleep and forget to send that mother into labor? Do we need to employ potentially harmful drugs to take care of what God missed?

We need not fear or take matters into our own hands. We should, first and foremost, PRAY and seek divine wisdom from God himself. I’m not talking about earthly wisdom. There is plenty of that readily available in modern hospitals, and in God’s economy it amounts to foolishness. Remember Proverbs 3:5. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your paths.” That word “acknowledge” comes from the Hebrew word “yada” and means “to know intimately”. It is the same word that is used when describing Adam and Eve’s physical union. So, if we completely trust God, resist relying on our own wisdom, and intimately connect with God in all areas of our lives, then we can expect that we will receive clear direction from Him. Sometimes it will be to do nothing—one of those “be still” moments. Other times it will be to participate with God in His work. Either way, He is El Shaddai, completely able to supply, not lacking anything; and He is Jehovah Jireh, seeing to it beforehand to make provision for our need. He CAN and WILL take care of His children!

A nurse-midwife friend of mine once told me that a skill she didn’t learn in midwifery school was to sit on her hands. She shared that practicing midwifery has become much less stressful for her and much safer for moms and babies since God taught her to be hands-off in many instances where she would have intervened in the past. She has found that trusting the Creator who intricately designed us and the birthing process has improved the outcomes in her practice.


When faced with challenges, let’s remember to PRAY FIRST and act only when we are directed to do so by God. While others may see that as foolish or irresponsible, God sees it as wise—and He is the one to whom I answer!

Learning to trust God more and more,

Kristin

 

The information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of medical care and advice from your health care provider.