It’s such a cliché I know, but we have just had one of the most powerful “new life at Easter” experiences that I reckon people can have. Our new little boy, Jesse George Forward, was born at 12:19pm on Easter Sunday.
Lucky he came when he did or I wouldn't have had anything to write about here on Easter. I didn’t even realise that Easter was coming up until sometime in the week beforehand. Some friends of ours were over and asked us what we were doing over Easter? “When is that?” I asked? For the last few weeks, I had been working hard trying to get everything done at work and at home, so that I could take a month off. Not knowing, of course, when the little bundle would actually arrive. So, Easter kind of snuck up on me…
Megan did such a great job bringing young Jesse into the world. She really wanted an “all natural” birth and she got the whole experience. But the pain… it looked painful, and Megan assures me that it was painful. Just when she thought she was through the painful bit, another painful bit would come along to take its place that totally redefined her previous perceptions of what extreme pain could be. She said that at one point she really wanted to give up during the birth, then she gleaned from a few things that the doctor and midwife were saying, and the tone in which they were saying it, that they had a few concerns about how long it was taking and that it would be good for Jesse to get out soon. Megan said it was the potential danger to Jesse and her love for him that enabled her to move through the pain to push and bring him into the world, safe and sound, healthy and happy…
Being Easter Sunday, I couldn’t help but make a link between Megan’s birthing experience and the Passion story of Jesus. Those of us that have been around Christian circles for years are familiar with the central idea that Jesus suffered and died a painful death, and then rose from the dead, never to die again; and that through his death and resurrection, the cosmos is given the opportunity to be saved from sin and its consequences of sickness, broken-ness and death. I’ve often wondered how Jesus did it – how he pushed through the pain to go through with his shameful and painful death on the cross?
I feel like I have a bit of an idea now...
PS - Jesse comes from the Hebrew meaning "gift"
Lucky he came when he did or I wouldn't have had anything to write about here on Easter. I didn’t even realise that Easter was coming up until sometime in the week beforehand. Some friends of ours were over and asked us what we were doing over Easter? “When is that?” I asked? For the last few weeks, I had been working hard trying to get everything done at work and at home, so that I could take a month off. Not knowing, of course, when the little bundle would actually arrive. So, Easter kind of snuck up on me…
Megan did such a great job bringing young Jesse into the world. She really wanted an “all natural” birth and she got the whole experience. But the pain… it looked painful, and Megan assures me that it was painful. Just when she thought she was through the painful bit, another painful bit would come along to take its place that totally redefined her previous perceptions of what extreme pain could be. She said that at one point she really wanted to give up during the birth, then she gleaned from a few things that the doctor and midwife were saying, and the tone in which they were saying it, that they had a few concerns about how long it was taking and that it would be good for Jesse to get out soon. Megan said it was the potential danger to Jesse and her love for him that enabled her to move through the pain to push and bring him into the world, safe and sound, healthy and happy…
Being Easter Sunday, I couldn’t help but make a link between Megan’s birthing experience and the Passion story of Jesus. Those of us that have been around Christian circles for years are familiar with the central idea that Jesus suffered and died a painful death, and then rose from the dead, never to die again; and that through his death and resurrection, the cosmos is given the opportunity to be saved from sin and its consequences of sickness, broken-ness and death. I’ve often wondered how Jesus did it – how he pushed through the pain to go through with his shameful and painful death on the cross?
I feel like I have a bit of an idea now...
PS - Jesse comes from the Hebrew meaning "gift"
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