Labor for a Deeper Love

Have you ever experienced a greater Love? If you did, have you known the deeper meaning to the greatest Love of all?
I’m sure most of you have experienced Love. But, I’m not sure if you have labored for it.

Well, I have a very recent experience to share – the story of my Labor, which gave me a deeper insight about the greatest Love of all.

The first 24 hours were bearable, and I thought I was prepared for what’s ahead. The next few hours were tiring and I grew impatient. Then, it was intolerable – I was experiencing sharp pains, growing severe each passing second. I started singing, thinking it would ease the pain but it didn’t help a bit. It grew worse as time passed by and I could hardly walk and barely stand. I felt it would be better to die than to go through the pain.

Funnily, laughing gas (Entonox given for pain relief) made me furious – I wanted to slap the midwife. Looking into his helpless but kind eyes, I screamed – Kill me! Hearing her soft suggestions, I raved.
Why can’t anybody understand what I’m going through? Why can’t somebody do something about it?

Through it all, I was praying for strength and courage but I was bone-weary, dead tired and ready to drop. That’s when this bizarre question popped up in my head – “Jesus, I know you went through pain and suffering, but you died. Why are you allowing me to go through so much pain, instead of letting me die?”
Even after the phase of labor, I was in distress. And the unanswered question still lingered in my mind – “If Jesus endured the pain for few hours and died, why is He allowing me to go through this pain for so long – how many days am I going to live in agony?”

As days passed, the intensity of my pain decreased. Can’t believe my little one is already a month old now. And as I was pondering over the same question, I received a wonderful answer – an explanation which helped me realize the deeper meaning of Love.

• When Jesus was about to be crucified, His Father forsook Him. But, my dad, when I was going through pain, he didn’t eat or sleep.

• When Jesus was going through pain and suffering, He could have had a legion of angels to comfort and console Him, but He didn’t receive any help. Whereas, I had two angels – my husband and my mom, who were by my side, round the clock, trying to comfort me and ease my pain. They have been and continue to be my Lifelines.

• When Jesus endured the pain to give me life eternal, He gave up His life and died for me. But, when I gave life to this little human through the birthing process, I only endured the pain – I had a near death experience but I survived.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13

Am I even worthy to compare myself with Christ, or my suffering with His? He loved me so much that He didn’t think twice to give up His life for me. And today, I am alive because of that same love – His strength has been made perfect in my weakness; the Father’s Love has been proved again through the care and concern of my dad; His never-failing love, kindness and mercy manifested through the angels He placed in my life.

The miracle of life still stays a mystery!
You may or may not have gone through labor for this deeper love. Yet, remember you came into this world because someone labored for you. And, that is Love – the greatest of all!

If you have labored for this deeper love and still say, “There is no God”, the word of God says – You are a fool!

We all have our own stories of finding deeper love. Mine is Labor. What’s yours?