Sunday, May 23: New kid on the block

This is one of those days when I am glad to be a man. My youngest sister, Julee, is having her first baby at the age of 46. Amazingly, she did it God’s way as she remained a virgin until marriage at the age of 45. In this day of sexual freedom with the “Me Generation” living by the creed of “If it feels good, do it,” she has certainly been one in a billion. Last night when I spoke with her on the telephone, her contractions had begun. They were 11 minutes apart and the doctor on call told her to try and get some sleep, and not to come to the hospital until the contractions were five minutes apart.

Around 10 this morning, she and her husband, Mark, made the journey to the hospital. After staying up most of last night, wondering if the contractions were getting closer together, she has been enduring the pain of labor all day. Now, 24 hours after labor began, I received the following text message from my niece:

“Pray. It’s getting intense and hard for her. She’s tired!”

Can you imagine any man enduring this? If there were a handful able to endure the pain, can you imagine any who would be willing to endure it more than once? When God told man to go forth and multiply, He gave women the amazing gift of enduring the pain and an even more amazing gift of forgetting the pain.


A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
John 16:21


I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”
Genesis 3:16


At 11:13 p.m. (EST), Julee gave birth to a healthy, 7-pound, 13-ounce boy. She called me and sounded exhausted after 27 hours of labor, which she did without a C-section or epidural. It was so sweet to pray with her on the phone before the delivery and after the delivery, and to dedicate this baby to the Lord! I am so thankful for God’s gift and His mercy of giving my sweet sister a baby after all these years. Though Sarah was much older at 90, I think of this as a miracle, testifying of what blessings God bestows when we choose to follow His commandments. Congratulations, Mark and Julee. Now, continue the process by bringing up your son in the ways of the Lord!


Glory be to God for this gift! I am relieved and thankful (and also glad I will never have to endure labor). Isn’t it just awesome that Jesus chose to enter the world in this very way? Mary endured the same turmoil and pain for our Lord to be born, that He might live and die for us! That’s why mothers get flowers, gifts, cards and love on Mother’s Day and fathers get a tie on father's day. The father’s part in the birth involves a moment of pleasure, compared to the intense, ongoing pain of the mother. Sorry, Dad! But don’t worry, you have a tie coming!  By the way, his name is Declan Elijah Weems, not Hootie!