As a Labor & Delivery nurse I have seen a lot of pregnant women in the near 3,000 deliveries I have attended and she is undoubtedly the most beautiful pregnant woman I have ever seen. She moves with a grace and poise many pregnant women find impossible this late in their gestation. In fact, when viewed from behind, one can't even tell she is pregnant. But one glance at her gravid belly shows that she is full of the miracle of life.
No one knows what mysterious thing actually triggers the onset of labor. There are many theories and even more suppositions. What is known, however, is that at some point after labor begins, a new life enters this world. It is as a dramatic change for the baby as could be. From a world of near-darkness to bright light, a life full of new sensations, sounds, touches, sights and tastes abound for the new little one.
Our new birth as Christians is none the less dramatic and just as mysterious. The Lord works in our hearts, calling us to Himself, long before our thoughts turn to Him. Christians share the truth of the Lord Jesus with us and Bible verses cling to our minds. Then somehow grace through faith goes from being an idea to a reality. We become what the Bible refers to as "a new creature."
"Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17.
The moment after I became a Christian I knew I was different. I had grown up in the church and heard about the Lord all my life. I just assumed I was a Christian, but during my teenage years the Lord began to work in my heart. Two weeks before my sixteenth birthday, alone in my bedroom, I came to the Lord and gave my life to Him. When I arose from my knees it was obvious to me I was a "new creature." My desires were different and my thoughts were different. I wanted different friends and different hobbies. I went from having a head knowledge of the Lord Jesus to having a heart knowledge. The words of the Bible now seemed to jump off the page.
I can no more explain to you the dynamics of my transformation than I can expound on the beginnings of labor. But I know that I know that Jesus now lives in me. He strengthens me, enables me and provides for me. I know I can trust Him in every moment, every situation to be exactly what I need Him to be.
Just as our new little baby will never have a moment when he or she wants to return to the womb, I have never regretted trusting in the Lord Jesus for one second. And because of Him I know my best days are ahead.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2: 8,9
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