A Baby Story--NOT of the TLC Variety

**Please allow this interruption of our hospitality series for me to share what the Lord showed me in His Word today. I will post the next part of our series ASAP!**

Romans 8:18-23
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

My son, Zachary, took his sweet time to join us in the world last September. I remember thinking that the day would never come. (In all fairness, it was an EXTREMELY HOT summer and I was HUGE!) But then, one Tuesday in mid-September, contractions began in earnest (I'd been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions for a while at that point) and were coming fairly reguarly, though far apart. My husband and I were so excited and a little nervous about what the evening would bring. We had been invited over to some friends' house for dinner and rather than just sitting at home waiting for a little one to arrive, we decided to go on to dinner. We packed our hospital bags in the car, sure we wouldn't be back to our home until a few days later when we returned with our new little bundle of joy!

We had a great dinner and visit with our friends--they were pretty pumped that I was "in labor" at their house and ready to follow us to the hospital at any moment. We got in the car that night...and headed back home. The contractions had slowed and were suddenly irregular again.

As we went to bed that night, we thought FOR SURE we'd be getting up in the middle of the night to go to the hospital. (Good thing we left our bags in the car!!) Little did we know that it would be a FULL TWO weeks before the doctors finally induced labor and our son was born.

While the contractions I experienced in the two weeks prior to Zachary's birth were real, they were just prepartory birth pains--contractions that were helping my body get ready for the actual birthing process.

That's the personal illustration the Lord brought to my mind as I read Paul's words in Romans 8:18-23 this morning. Paul is comparing the suffering and trials of our life on earth and the turmoil of the world to the prepartory contractions that ready a woman's body for her baby's birthday. Paul is not saying that our suffering and trials in this life are inconsequential any more than someone would dare to suggest that the pre-labor contractions a woman experiences before active labor begins are insignificant. What Paul is saying is that our suffering in this life is part of the pangs of waiting and preparation for the fulfillment of the restoration and redemption that will come when Jesus returns to bring His Bride to Himself and make all things new.

We anxiously awaited and eagerly anticipated the birth of our son. We endured pain and hardship in the process, but the joy that was ours when the doctor announced his arrival and Zachary's first cry filled the room so far outweighed whatever pain there had been that it wasn't even worth comparing them. (In fact, so great was my joy that I can only vaguely remember the discomfort and pain of pregnancy and labor.)

That's what Paul is communicating here. Whatever hardship, disappointment, suffering, or trial you are experiencing right now, isn't even worth comparing to the glory that is to come. Instead of focusing on the financial difficulty, the struggling marriage, the loneliness of singlehood, the anxiety of a strained relationship, the disappointment of a wayward child,the burden of a long-term illness, the loss of a job, etc., we should allow God, through the power of His Word and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit to use it in our lives to increase the hope we have in the promise of Christ's return to make all things new and to compel us to anxiously await and eagerly anticipate the completion of our adoption and redemption in Him. What an incredible birth story THAT will be!

Sidewalk Talk

Stories of everyday expressions of hospitality from sidewalks around the world.

Not My Home

I have moved yet again...I think this makes move number 5 in the last 8 months, and I am still not to my final destination. Another house became available that is a little bigger and allows my roommate and I to have our own space, which I am very thankful for. As of now, however, there is no water and we will have to fill up our water tanks over the next few days. This will be a whole new learning experience for me, but will be good practice for when I get to my city.

I have not been too excited about packing again, moving, and unpacking and knowing in about 56 days I will be doing it all over again. I was talking to the Father this week and expressing my desire to just be settled in a home again. While I miss my home in the states, I do not necessarily want to be there. I just want to be at home...any home...my home. I do not want to sift through boxes or suitcases anymore. I am tired of feeling so temporary. As I have talked to the Father this week, He has faithfully reminded no home on this earth is permanent. It is all temporary. My home is not here. As I long to be settled and at home, I am really longing to be in my eternal home. He never meant for me to be settled here. While I am definitely OVER moving for a while I am so thankful for the tangible reminder that I am only passing through on my way to a better place. It makes me long all the more for our Lord's return. Maranatha!!

...having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. ~ Hebrews 11.13 - 16

As Ancient as Sweet Iced Tea: A Theology of Hospitality Part 2

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:33-34

Hospitality is not an inherently "Southern American" ideal (although iced tea on the veranda does sound lovely about now--thank you for offering). Actually, there are plenty of countries around the world, especially in Central Asia and the Middle East, whose generous hospitality far exceeds anything we've ever come close to experiencing or offering in the U.S, but then again, the roots for their hospitality go much deeper and there is actually a very rich history behind why they do what they do. God's people, the Israelites, were the ones who brought many of the ideas about hospitality and how to treat others kindly to the ancient world.

Believe it or not , hospitality or kindness to others is God's idea. We see that borne out in Scripture over and over again as God demonstrates His lovingkindness toward us by setting into motion the greatest rescue plan and love story ever. We see His hospitality displayed through the lives of the people in the Bible: Abraham, Joseph, Rahab, Boaz, King David, the widow and Elijah, and on and on!

In short, God's people have always been a hospitable people. In fact, protection for and proper treatment of foreigners, strangers, and travelers was built into the fabric of their laws for right living right from the very beginning(Exodus 22:21, Leviticus 19:18; 33-34). Israel's empathy for outsiders stems from their former status as foreigners and even slaves when they were in the land of Egypt. God instructs them to allow their history as strangers in a foreign land to inform their compassion for others. In other words, it takes one to know one. Who better to extend hospitality than someone who knows what it is like to have been treated inhospitably? This is pretty much where the idea of the "Golden Rule" is born--the Israelites were commanded and encouraged to display kindness to others in light of the fact that they would like to be treated that way themselves.

It is also interesting to note that God's instruction to Israel about the treatment of strangers comes in the midst of His instructions to them regarding their relationships with each other. Leviticus 19:18 says, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." So not only does their hospitality flow from their history as outsiders themselves, but it is an overflow and an extension of the love they are to be displaying toward each other.