The Pain of Childbirth for Women and Men

…my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! (Gal 4:19 ESV) 

In this world, there are few types of sufferings that are as common, graphic, and immensely painful as childbirth. Every single human being, save for the first man and woman, came into the world through a human mother who carried them stoically for nine months and then gave birth to them. Although there is unspeakable joy in holding a newborn baby in one’s arms, the hour of childbirth itself is one of excruciating agony and intense suffering.

Childbirth is one of the great equalizers in this world, for apart from the pain relief afforded through modern medical technology, women great and small have all experienced the anguish of birthing their child. From the queen who sits on the throne of a country, to the farmer’s wife, they can all testify to the uncontrollable pain of contractions racking their bodies over and over again, the discomfort of being drenched in sweat from head to toe, and the pain of tearing flesh as the baby is violently moved through the birth canal. No mother by her skill or experience can bypass any of the steps of childbirth. And though she may find emotional support in a husband or a midwife, the blood, the cries of pain and the grinding of gritted teeth are hers alone to bear.  

Yet, is it not the overwhelming testimonies of mothers that despite their sufferings they would not give up their children to avoid that moment of pain? Though their hour of sorrow is intense, did not Jesus speak rightly when he said that her sorrow is forgotten when she holds her precious baby in her hands (John 16:21)?  

And this graphic analogy is the one that Paul chooses to describe the pain of labouring over Christians to see them grow into maturity! How instructive this is for us as we seek to make disciples of all peoples! True discipleship and raising spiritual children to maturity in Christ is so difficult, so heart-wrenching, so consuming and painful that the only appropriate analogy is one of a woman suffering the agonies of childbirth.  

Brothers and sisters, are you suffering right now as you labour over the spiritual babies that the Lord has given into your care? Does the pain of betrayal or false accusations rack your body with wave after wave of painful contractions? Do you feel the tearing of your own flesh and heart as your spiritual child forces their way violently down their own path of sin? Do you cry out to the Lord, “How long oh Lord!” when you look at your labour which seems to drag on hour after hour without any relief? Ah in your moments of greatest despair, remember our great high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. Though he invested greatly into his own disciples, they deserted him when he needed them most at Gethsemane. Though he spoke only the truth and came from the Father’s side, he was falsely accused, beaten and crucified. Though he had the power to end his torment on the cross by summoning a legion of angels to his side, he hung there enduring the wrath of God until the entirety of his labours was complete. He was vilified by his own creation, yet our Lord cried over Jerusalem and longed to take his wayward children underneath his wings! 

Take heart Christian, and do not give up, even if your labour for Christ is as unbearable as the pain of childbirth. Christ will never leave your or forsake you and when your labour is done, you will enter into the joy of your Master. 

Written by: Samuel Chua