• Home
• News Stories

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2: 7-8NIV

Isn’t this a nice, tidy delivery story? Mary gave birth, swaddled the baby, and put him in a manger. No mention of the length of the labor, difficulties encountered, who might have assisted (was Joseph really present?), or postpartum pain or depression. Perhaps some things are better off left unsaid, but it is the time of year when we remember and retell this story of the birth of Jesus and wonder about the details.

Our Christian calendar says it is Advent. It’s advent in our Conference world, too, a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Our due date is July 2010.

I’m serving on the transition teams for the births of the new Upper New York Conference and the ‘new and improved’ New England Conference. At the last New ACT meeting, some of the women were making the connection between where we are in the Upper New York transition and the phase in labor known as the Transition Phase. During labor, this phase is the hardest physically and emotionally on the mother.

When I gave birth to my son, the transition phase was where I encountered difficulty. It was supposed to have been the shortest phase but instead it went on for several hours and it was not pretty. I would not have made it without the help of my husband who was right there with me even when the going was tough.

Did Mary go through the transition phase with ease? Did she have someone with her to help her with her breathing, offer encouragement, and guide her during the contractions? Did she get angry and emotional?

And what about us in our transition time? Are we getting angry and emotional? Are we paying attention to our breathing? Or more specifically, to God, the one in whom we live and move (and breathe) and have our being? Are we listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we feel contractions and want to push before it is time?

We have undertaken a huge project, the delivery of these conferences. There’s much to be done and quite a bit hasn’t been resolved. There’s uncertainty and just plain messiness everywhere, but some things simply cannot be rushed. Speeding up the contractions just makes the delivery more difficult. Keep the faith that God is already ahead of us in this, and that the Holy Spirit will help us get in step. 

During labor, a woman might be told to practice different breathing patterns and she’ll be reminded not to hold her breath. I remember “hee-hee-who” breathing, which is used when the mother starts to feel exhausted or overwhelmed and needs to relax.

Can you develop a “He-He-Who” prayer? Perhaps if a transition issue brings up anxiety in you, you could pray: He Who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it.

Don’t hold your breath, that is, don’t forget to stay connected to God in prayer, breathe! As a reminder, you could listen to Michael W. Smith’s song Breathe: “this is the air I breathe, your holy presence living in me.” 

This is what it’s about, the holy presence of Jesus who has already been born and is born and reborn in each of us, and asks us to help others discover his holy presence living in them.

We are in transition and this is good. We are changing, developing, alive! Keep breathing, listen to Coach Holy Spirit, relax in between contractions, you’re doing a great job!