Rethinking Productivity and Love in Pregnancy by Heidi Tai
I normally blog first thing in the morning, but as of this moment, it’s 4:20 in the afternoon and the winter sun (it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere!) is already making its way down the yellowing horizon. Sigh. Where did my day go? Usually, you’ll catch me typing fast and furiously at my local café, surrounded by hustle and bustle and powered by coffee and creative juice. But today, I’m bouncing at home on a birth ball, sluggish and sleep deprived, 33 weeks pregnant. What was I talking about again? With only one month till Baby’s arrival, my hospital bag is (half) packed, our nursery is (haphazardly) set up, and I’m officially confused as to how a human so small could need so much stuff? Although I want to be prepared and organized, Baby Brain (forgetfulness and mind fog), insomnia, back pain and intensifying Braxton Hicks (practice contractions) are just some of the things that have popped up to slow me down. Pregnancy, though filled with many joys, is no walk in the park. On this side of eternity, motherhood, like any type of work, has been cursed with thorns and thistles. Neither modern medicine nor Instagram filters can erase the effects of the Fall. But while our story begins
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with a curse, God promises that it will end with renewal and redemption. In the words of Risen Motherhood, ‘motherhood is made up of a million tiny moments for worship’. Although my pregnancy has been littered with unwanted challenges, God has used these moments to strengthen my faith and to reorient my priorities. I am learning that even thorns and thistles can become a means for my sanctification (growth in godliness) and lead to praise and worship. Here are two ways that motherhood has done this so far…
Redefining Productivity Pregnancy has encouraged me to redefine productivity and to trust in God’s plans for my life. These days, everything feels harder and slower. Why am I late? It took me 30 minutes to put on a sock and to remember why I had started the car. Unpredictable bodily changes have forced me to cancel cherished plans and place limits on my social calendar. Never before have I felt so out of control of my own freedoms and schedule, but it is precisely in my feelings of FOMO and discouragement that God has showed up to remind me that His providence pervades my calendar:
