Anxiously I grasped my wife's hands as she braved the final moments of labor. Those final moments felt like an eternity as moments of extreme intensity transition to one of extreme joy.
All the planning and organizing can never fully prepare you for a season change.
With my first daughter Olivia, I over-emphasized the details and was stressed for the months leading to her birth. This extra anxiety caused strife and stress in my marriage. Time spent when we were supposed to be celebrating new life we spend arguing and fighting.
The picture painted through our process is that even something which is originally supposed to be a blessing can cause division if miss handled. Through time and counseling, we were able to identify the source of the tension and offense, fear.
Anything worth doing well has high levels of risk involved.
If it's starting a new job, relationship or vocation, the unknown is scary and it's ok to be afraid, but it's not ok to live afraid.
Dispelling fear is the first step in living courageously. This can be done in multiple ways but the most effective way I have seen is changing the way you talk to yourself.
So how do I empower myself towards change?
Well, let me explain! First and foremost, I am not talking about impractical "hocus pocus" you see in a lot of the mainstream movements. A lot of talk with no practical application. But! What I am referring to is, in when those moments of fear (fill in the blank) arises, which it will, reminding yourself of what the truth of the situation is.
The majority of the battlefield of fear is within the mind. So how this plays out is when thoughts arise which aren't true about yourself or is driven by a fearful moment, tell yourself "Hey, I am not willing to subject myself to fear." Then replacing that thought with your present truth.
Fear can stunt growth if not dealt with.
So learning this lesson through the process prior to Olivia's birth we were better prepared for her arrival. New life will bring up the issues in your heart but it is always worth plowing through those concerns while the moment can be seized. On the other side of fear is new life.
Until next time.